Ezra Lost (a Star Wars Rebels fanfiction)
by Artemis the Rebel
Summary: "It was a simple story, about a boy who was lost." Kanan Jarrus has sent his Padawan, Ezra Bridger, on a simple op - alone. But when five hours pass and Ezra has still not returned, will the other rebels ever find out what happened to the boy - or get him back? (Contains spoilers from Season 1 & the trailers of Season 2.)
1. Chapter 1

1

 **THE OP** had been Kanan's idea.

It had been the worst idea he had ever had, even worse than the Imperial Academy idea.

 _Far worse,_ Kanan thought miserably, as he paced the halls of the _Ghost._

He knew the others were watching him, but he didn't care. He was too stressed out to stop walking back and forth, back and forth, again and again. _Ezra... where is Ezra?!_

Three days ago, Kanan had decided that his Padawan, Ezra, should go on an op - alone. Ezra had agreed that it would be good practice, especially if he was ever separated from the rest of the crew during a normal supply run. And the goal of Ezra's solo op was rather simple: sneak into an Imperial docking bay, steal a crate, and come back.

So today, at precisely duskfall, Ezra Bridger had set out for Capitol City, by himself.

Five hours ago.

Kanan growled faintly at himself as he turned for another lap, when someone grabbed him by the shoulder from behind.

The tall, dark-haired Jedi paused, sensing that it was Hera Syndulla behind him.

He glanced over at her and found his own worry reflected in the Twi'lek's green eyes.

"Let's go," she said softly.


	2. Chapter 2

2

 **HERA ASSEMBLED** the crew extremely quickly. Kanan realized that all of the others had been on edge, too, as they had all leapt to attention the moment he and Hera walked into the common room.

"What is it, Hera?" Sabine asked, but she was already sliding on her helmet.

Zeb had been leaning against the wall, his arms folded, one foot resting on top of Chopper's orange dome, and his ears pressed back against his head. Now his ears flicked forward as he stared at Hera and Kanan anxiously.

"Ezra's been gone way too long," Hera told them grimly. "We should have gone looking sooner than this. I know we all-" The Twi'lek captain broke off abruptly, glancing at Kanan, before resuming. "I know that _most_ of us believed that Ezra was simply horsing around somewhere, but five hours is long enough." Hera turned around. "And if that boy _is_ horsing around somewhere..."

She didn't need to finish that thought. _All of us would be furious if he actually was,_ Kanan thought as he and the others bolted after Hera immediately. (As he wouldn't notice until later, Chopper stayed behind to look after the _Ghost,_ which was surprising, as no one had ordered the droid to do it.) _But I just know... something's gone wrong._ He could feel it in his ice-cold blood and his ever-sinking heart. _And it's all my fault._


	3. Chapter 3

3

 **THE REBELS** didn't even converse over where they would look for Ezra first. They all simultaneously started off in the direction of Capitol City, where the Imperial docking bay Ezra had gone to was located.

As Ezra had left at duskfall, it was now the dead of night. No one had slept yet, but their anxiety continued to keep them wide awake.

The foursome ran at top speed through the fields of Lothal, disturbing a few slumbering Lothcats, who mewled in sleepy protest. Kanan was thankful that none of them woke up enough to start attacking him.

They had only traversed a small stretch of land when Hera suddenly stopped and called for the others. Zeb and Sabine, with Kanan in front of them, stumbled to a surprised halt and turned to look at her.

"Come on, Hera," Kanan said urgently. "We _have_ to find Ezra - as soon as possible."

Hera nodded seriously. "I know, Kanan. We all want to find him as much as you do, goofing off or... or otherwise. But I thought we should look there, while we're nearby." Her crewmates followed her pointing finger to an immensely tall, lone edifice a few yards away.

Kanan turned to stare at it. "What _is_ that thing? It looks sort of like a..."

"A radio transmission tower," Hera finished, dipping her head. "Long abandoned - but Ezra called it home for a very long time."

Kanan was startled to hear this. Ezra hadn't told him about it, but apparently his Padawan had told Hera. Kanan knew the others were as curious about that as he was, but all of them knew there was simply no time to ask about it. "It's worth checking. Let's get moving!"


	4. Chapter 4

4

 **IT TOOK** several minutes for the crew of the Ghost to reach the abandoned radio tower. This extremely bothered Kanan despite himself. Every minute they spent travelling was another minute Ezra was still missing.

They stopped at the foot of the tower, where there was a lift waiting there for them. Hera pressed a button and the doors sprang open with a pneumatic hiss - so easily that it was obvious that Ezra had taken care of them well.

The rebels stepped into the lift (it was a bit of a squeeze, especially for Zeb; and even in this time of urgency and tension, Kanan made sure that _he_ was the one pressed against Hera), which promptly took them up to the balcony that surrounded the top of the radio tower.

The breeze was blowing harder and chillier up here than it had been from down below in the fields. Zeb stepped out of the lift first, followed by Sabine, Hera, and then Kanan, and stepped aside, his ears giving a twitch as he glanced around.

"Yep, this seems like the sort of place the kid would like to hang around," the Lasat mused gruffly, patting the thin guardrail. "Fall over _this,_ and you're a goner."

"Let's focus, Zeb," Kanan said grimly. The dark-haired Jedi was certainly on edge. His companions watched with concern as he hurriedly inspected every inch of the balcony - which wasn't wide enough for anyone else to safely assist him- for any sign of his Padawan.

But when he returned to the others, their spirits fell. Kanan's face was even more despairing than it had been before.

"He's not out here," he told them needlessly, his voice low with disappointment and worry. "Let's head inside."

His friends all gave him solemn nods of agreement. Kanan swiftly found the door that lead into the former control room of the tower and stepped inside.

The other three stood anticipatingly behind him as he peered into the room.

"Ezra?"


	5. Chapter 5

5

 **EZRA'S VOICE** did not answer Kanan's soft call. The tall Jedi stepped into the room and looked around. The moment he did, he could simply sense that his Padawan was not there.

But he had to look for clues. He just _had_ to. Kanan began to mill around the area, careful to keep his back facing his friends. That way they couldn't see the tears rising up in his cyan eyes, despite how hard he tried to fight them. He turned on the lights when he found the switch. They barely cast any glow and they flickered. Kanan suspected they weren't even running on the main power grid anymore, and supposed that Ezra had managed to wire everything to a special (swiped) battery somewhere.

 _Clever, clever little Lothrat,_ Kanan thought with growing despair as he walked around briskly, looking around at everything, even the floor. He paused in front of a pair of stormtrooper helmets that were perched atop some old, parts-raided machinery. One of the helmets had obviously been nicked from a shadow stormtrooper. Kanan wondered briefly how the kid had managed to collect these without getting killed, then reflected again on his Padawan's slyness. _He could outwit just about anybody._

Kanan also realized that Ezra might have traded with someone for the helmets - a risky business in itself, no matter the trader; they all had something up their sleeves, the Jedi had found - but Ezra had probably chosen the method of _"direct trading."_

Kanan reached out and slid two fingers across the ebony surface of the shadow stormtrooper helmet, then stared down at his fingertips. They were covered with a fine layer of dust.

For the second time that night, someone gently grasped Kanan's shoulder, and he sensed immediately that it was Hera. He grimaced in shame as he wiped the dust off his fingers with his light green tunic, then drew his arm across his eyes.

"Kanan," Hera murmured, "it would be best if we moved on to the docking bay. I was wrong. He isn't here."

"Don't feel bad," he told her gently, turning to face her. "It was a great idea to look. I'd never have even thought of it." He even mustered up a smile, but it didn't manage to reach his tourmaline gaze.

Hera tried to smile back, but there was concern and sadness written all over her green complexion. "Come on." She headed back out.

As Kanan slowly began to follow her, old memories suddenly rushed into his head. He could see it like it was all happening again.

 _Kanan was standing on the deserted control tower's balcony. The breeze toyed with his short brown ponytail as he gazed at a boy whose back was to him. The boy had raven hair,` and wore an orange jumper and dingy green backpack._

 _Kanan could tell the boy could sense him, even before the kid spoke._

"What's... the Force?"

"The Force is everywhere," _Kanan replied, quietly but clearly._ "It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together." _He stared intently at the boy, who still wasn't looking at him - and Kanan knew that the kid could be so much more than just a street thief, stealing to survive._ "And it's strong with you, Ezra."

Kanan opened his eyes and found that he had stopped again. He looked up. Sabine, Zeb, and Hera were all staring at him worriedly.

"K...Kanan?" Sabine ventured waveringly. "We really need to hurry if we're going to find Ezra before dawn."

Kanan nodded seriously, all too aware of the tears that had managed to escape onto his tan face. "R-Right." He hurried past them, feeling their gazes following him.

That day had been so important. It had been the day Ezra joined the _Ghost_ crew to become Kanan's Padawan.

Kanan could not believe he had forgotten it.

They had been through so much together since then. They had disagreed and fought with one another, and struggled through some rough spots. But they had always stayed together, and with each other's help, they had both come so, _so_ far from where they had been before.

Losing Ezra...

 _No. We_ will _find Ezra. We_ have _to,_ Kanan thought desperately as he hurried back to the elevator.

 _We just_ have _to._


	6. Chapter 6

6

 **IT TOOK** at least twelve entire minutes for the rebels to leave the tower. (The lift upped and shuddered to a halt out of nowhere. Typically, Kanan would have been just fine with standing there squeezed against Hera while Sabine and Zeb struggled to get the lift going again, but in this urgent situation, time was of the essence; Kanan immediately decided to fix it himself. It was a very awkward thing to do in such a small space; Kanan accidentally elbowed Zeb a few times and stepped on Sabine's foot during the repair. At least the fix didn't require any tools, which the crew currently lacked. If they had needed tools... best not to think about that.)

Once they were finally out once more and running again, a series of other small hindrances occurred. Zeb tripped on a Lothcat, which was not very happy about being woken up so rudely and painfully, and attacked Zeb in a whirlwind of feline fury. The critter was so small, fast, vicious, and sheerly determined for revenge that Zeb was unable to get it off for more than five seconds. Kanan had to come to the rescue with the Force and send the belligerent Lothcat away in peace.

Zeb came away with several stinging scratches, and he had twisted his ankle pretty badly when he'd tripped over the Lothcat. Zeb insisted that he would only slow everyone down, and Hera volunteered to take him back to the _Ghost._

That bummed Kanan out a little bit more, but he could only agree with her. Besides, being highly wanted rebels - who knew whether or not Kanan and Sabine might need a quick aerial getaway?

Sabine and Kanan sprinted the rest of the way to Capitol City. In total, over a quarter of an hour was spent going from the abandoned radio tower to the city. And there was still a little while to go before they reached the docking bay. This frustrated Kanan out of his mind, but there was nothing he or Sabine could do about it.

The twosome stole into the city, walking through the streets with a wary eye out for stormtroopers or other trouble. Kanan wished he could run to the docking bay, but that would almost definitely attract some unwanted attention.

For a while, both Sabine and Kanan were silent, focused on their thoughts.

But then Sabine spoke. Her voice was quiet and hesitant.

"Specter One?"

Kanan stirred, then looked down at her, his eyebrows meeting. He already suspected what she was going to say, and he was very reluctant to hear it.

"Specter Six has been gone for nearly five and a half hours now," Sabine murmured, looking ahead, her face concealed by her creatively vandalized Mandalorian helmet. "Do you really think... he'll still be there?"

Kanan breathed a faint sigh, his heart heavier than ever.

"To be completely honest... _no,_ Specter Five. I don't." Kanan glanced back at the street ahead of him, his cyan gaze flicking over the few other late-night passerby in search of bucketheads. "But we have to cling to even the smallest hope that he is."

Sabine nodded her head slightly in solemn agreement. She didn't say anything more.

Neither of them wanted to acknowledge the dark possibility that they might never see Ezra Bridger ever again.


	7. Chapter 7

7

 **KANAN AND** Sabine neared the Imperial docking bay at last, but there was one problem with finishing the journey.

That problem, as usual, was the Empire.

The closer they got to the docking bay, the more bucketheads began to appear. At first, there were only a couple here and there, mixed in with the thin trickle of passerby, leaning against a wall, or having a good ol' time harrassing unauthorized traders (whom Kanan and Sabine would love to have helped out if they hadn't needed to remain inconspicuous for as long as possible). But then, as the rebels drew closer still to the Imperial docking bay, so many stormtroopers were milling around that Sabine and Kanan both began to feel particularly nervous - so nervous it was becoming exceedingly difficult to act as if they were everyday, completely innocent civilians.

Even worse, neither Sabine nor Kanan _looked_ like everyday, completely innocent civilians. Sabine was definitely an unusual sight with her Mandalorian armor, which was painted in eye-drawing pinks and oranges. Kanan was an oddity as well, with his medley of dark green armor. And the blasters at their hips completed the image of two dangerous, troublemaking bounty hunters.

Aside from the facts that they were soon the only two people around who weren't Imperials and were obviously heading in the direction of the docking bay, Kanan and Sabine's appearances played a huge role in why the mission abruptly went as wrong as possible.

Sabine froze as a hand roughly grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. She found herself staring at a stormtrooper.

"Hey, bub! Care to explain what you and your friend are doing trespassing on Imperial property?"

Sabine quickly ran over her possible choices. Nothing she could say would be affirmable for long. That left only one ultimate option, which was _extremely_ unfavorable, given the goal of investigating the Imperial docking bay for signs of Ezra and the sheerly abnormal abundance of bucketheads (seriously, this many troopers _couldn't_ be explained by any increased rebel activity!...or... _could_ it?).

"We... have some pre-purchased crates to pick up at the docking bay," she swiftly lied, glad that her face was hidden inside her helmet. She'd hesitated at the beginning of her fib and was wincing because of it.

The stormtrooper folded his arms, clearly enjoying this. "Oh, yeah? Prove it."

Sabine swallowed. She could feel all the other stormtroopers - there were dozens and dozens of them - watching her now. She slowly reached towards the twin blaster pistols holstered at her hips.

Another hand on her shoulder - a gentle one this time - stopped her.

Kanan.

Sabine stared, astonished and amazed, as the tall, dark-haired Jedi stepped forward and raised one hand, his gaze fixed on the stormtroopers.

"We are allowed to be here," Kanan said, his voice clear and firm and his angular eyebrows scrunched in concentration.

"You are allowed to be here," the stormtroopers echoed in a daze.

"You will go about your business and ignore what we do," continued Kanan.

"We will go about our business and ignore what you do," repeated the stormtroopers, slowly nodding in unison. Then they all began to walk around, paying no attention at all to Kanan or Sabine. A few of them bumped into walls and each other.

Kanan's knees buckled and he stumbled backwards. Sabine jumped to support him. "Kanan, are you alright?!"

"Yeah," he panted. "That... that just took up a lot of my energy. I won't be able to do it again, so let's hurry." He straightened, and they proceeded on through the pack of milling-about stormtroopers, Sabine continuing to support Kanan a little as they avoided colliding with any of the confused bucketheads.


	8. Chapter 8

8

 **THE DOCKING** bay was right up ahead. Before Sabine could sprint straight ahead, however, Kanan's eyes widened. He seized her arm and yanked her aside.

 _"Kanan!"_ Sabine hissed as the Jedi dragged her behind a building. _"What are you doing?!"_

Kanan peered around the building's permacrete corner, then quickly stepped back, stared down at Sabine, and whispered warningly: "If you thought there were a lot of troopers back there, then there are _twice_ as many here."

Sabine processed that for a moment, then swallowed. "I'm glad you saw them before I ran in there," she said hoarsely.

"Me too," Kanan agreed, his eyebrows scrunched together, as they often were. "But that's not all, either." He lowered his voice even more. "I'm pretty sure I saw _Agent Kallus_ out there, too."

"You mean that guy who tried to kill Zeb?" Sabine whispered after a moment, horrified.

"Yeah," Kanan confirmed, then began counting on his fingers. _"And_ who tried to kill us when we were trying to save those Wookies who weren't there, _and_ who tried to kill us on Kessel, _and_ who tried to kill us on Empire Day, _and_ who tried to kill us when we met up with Gall Trayvis that one time, _and..."_

"Okay, okay, Kanan, yes," Sabine interrupted. "He's tried to kill us a bunch of times and he's really horrible. I get it. But we need to stay _focused."_

Kanan frowned, wondering slightly if Sabine was discreetly mocking him. "Right. Sorry." He folded his arms, another habit of his, and thought for a moment. Then he glanced at Sabine and smiled mysteriously.

 _"Please_ tell me you have a plan that doesn't involve us getting killed," grumbled Sabine. "Just this once."

Kanan raised one eyebrow. "One, my plans have never gotten any of us killed. Narrowly, but not quite. Two, I do have a plan, which should be relatively simple - _if_ you happen to have a miracle on you?"

Sabine's light brown eyes sparkled from underneath her helmet. "Always."


	9. Chapter 9

9

 **AGENT KALLUS** stood and watched with narrowed eyes as his assigned army of stormtroopers swarmed the Imperial docking bay.

He adjusted his helmet slightly, then slowly scanned the area with vigilant precision. All of the stormtroopers were single-mindedly adhered to the mission at hand. _Good,_ Kallus thought gelidly. _If a rebel so much as steps foot on the premises, my troopers will be on them like myrnocks on a power cable._

Failure was not an option, Agent Kallus knew very well. After what had happened to Taskmaster Myles Grint and Commandant Cumberlayne Aresko, he absolutely _must not_ fail - _especially_ not on the behalf of one measly stormtrooper who stopped for a snack break.

Unfortunately, Agent Kallus seemed to be a favorite of failure.

Suddenly, the storage building on the other side of the docking bay exploded in a huge mushroom cloud of silver glitter and billowing purple smoke, sending a handful of unlucky stormtroopers flying. Agent Kallus' amber eyes widened in fury as he stepped forward and bellowed at the other troopers, who were running for cover or rushing to the aid of their fallen comrades: "THE REBELS ARE HERE! FIND THEM - _NOW!"_

The stormtroopers heard and obeyed him immediately. They all sprinted towards the wreckage, their blasters out and ready.

Agent Kallus growled, reaching for his Bo-Rifle. This would be just like that clash on the Imperial Star Destroyer - only this time, he was ready... and these foolishly sentimental rebels would _not_ be getting their snarky Padawan back _this_ time.

Kallus smiled gruesomely and crept off, anticipating that the exploding building was nothing but a distraction. He would not allow an incompetent stormtrooper to ruin his chances of pleasing Grand Moff Tarkin and saving his own skin. _If you want something to be done right, then you must do it yourself._


	10. Chapter 10

10

 **KANAN GRINNED** as he witnessed another one of Sabine's marvelous masterpieces. Then he bolted out into the Imperial docking bay, the artist herself directly behind him and the burning wreckage lighting their way.

Before Sabine's "Miracle" (and miraculous they always were) had detonated, the twosome had fled to a safe distance; then, after the spectacular explosion, Kanan and Sabine had sprinted off, circling around to the far end of the docking bay. Neither had to discuss it with the other; with all these bucketheads around, Ezra couldn't possibly be here - unless he was captured and locked up in the Imperial freighter at the back of the docking bay.

Kanan hoped dearly that Ezra was not inside that freighter, and, most likely, Ezra wasn't. But it was a chance worth taking, no matter how small.

The bomb's detonation produced the perfect results: the stormtroopers were all searching the area around the flaming storage building in a frantic confusion, like ants whose anthill had been damaged by an oblivious boot. The distraction provided a broad opening for Kanan and Sabine to search the freighter unnoticed.

Kanan skidded to a halt behind the back of the freighter. The doors were on the side facing the half of the Imperial docking bay the stormtroopers occupied; Kanan refused to risk being spotted, so it was _lightsaber_ time.

"Stand back," Kanan advised Sabine as the Mandalorian stopped behind him. Sabine backed away, realizing what the Jedi was about to do, and watched in awe.

Kanan unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and activated it, the azure blade cascading up from the hilt and emitting a brilliant glow. Kanan stabbed the lightsaber into the Imperial freighter, then carved the outline of a large hole into the ship's side with much physical effort. A minute later and the circular cutout popped out, falling towards Kanan. He quickly used one hand to catch it and lay it down quietly with the Force before it could send up a racket and alert any bucketheads to the rebels' presence.

Kanan sheathed his lightsaber and gestured to the hole with a smile and half-bow. "After you, my dear."

"What a gentleman you are," Sabine remarked, leaping into the freighter.

The Jedi Knight stepped after her with a smirk. "Was that sarcasm?"

"Maybe." Sabine looked around, frowning under her helmet. "We're going to need that lightsaber again until I can find a light switch, Kanan. It's dark in here."

"Sure th-"

An emotionless voice rang out of the darkness, cutting Kanan off. "Allow _me."_

Sabine flinched and took a step back as cold, artificial light illuminated the inside of the freighter. Several feet before them, staring back at them icily, stood Agent Kallus.

"So _predictable,"_ Kallus spat, activating the Bo-Rifle he gripped in his hands. Both ends of it crackled dangerously with bright, yellow electricity. "It was all too obvious that you would come here after your _precious_ little _Padawan_ failed to return to you, _Jarrus."_

Kanan scowled at the Imperial Security Bureau agent, sharp shadows and fierce blue light playing over his features as he switched his lightsaber on once more and slipped into a battle stance. "Turn him over _now,_ Kallus - or you might be in physical therapy by morning," he growled.

Agent Kallus stared at him, then startled both rebels by laughing a harsh, humorless laugh. _"I_ won't be the one going to the hospice today, Jarrus."

He lunged towards them.


	11. Chapter 11

11

 **SABINE WREN** was so quick on the draw, she could show up a stormtrooper - and had. In an instant, her twin blaster rifles were gripped in her hands and she was firing at Agent Kallus.

Agent Kallus deflected one shot with a flick of his Bo-Rifle and wildly dodged another, never once faltering in his charge towards the rebels. Sabine fired again, then leapt out of the way as Kallus sent both energy beams ricoheting back at her.

Instead, the bolts flew towards Kanan. He quickly sent them into the wall in a flash of blue lightsaber, then swiftly lashed his blade towards Agent Kallus as the Imperial nearly electrocuted Sabine.

His attack on the Mandalorian detonation expert interrupted by the immediate need to defend himself, Agent Kallus twisted around, turning his offense into a defense in record time. As one crackling end of his Bo-Rifle met Kanan's lightsaber, a blinding flash ensued. Kallus and Kanan both yelped and staggered backwards, blinking.

Sabine struck the moment Agent Kallus was vulnerable. She jumped forwards, firing her blasters at the stunned man.

One of the shots connected with Kallus' shoulder. For the most part, his black armor protected him, but he could still feel some of the pain through it. Agent Kallus cried out, jerking, then shook his head to recover his vision. Shadowy spots pulsated in front of his eyes, but he could see again. He lunged for Sabine.

Sabine rapidly pulled her blasters' triggers again and again, but Kallus deflected or dodged every bolt. He had been training ferociously since his latest failure in overtaking the rebels. Backing away hurriedly, Sabine stumbled and tripped. She fell backwards, and in the blinking of an eye, Agent Kallus was holding his Bo-Rifle over Sabine's head for the second time.

 _"No!"_ yelled Kanan, rushing forward and swinging his blade towards Agent Kallus from the side.

Again, Kallus had to switch his finishing blow into an attempt to save himself, almost more quickly than his body could allow.

This time, however, Kanan's lightsaber did not connect with either of the Bo-Rifle's electrified tips. Kanan furiously sliced Kallus' weapon, a trophy from when the Imperial agent had taken down a member of the Honor Guard of Lasan, in two.

Agent Kallus' amber eyes were wide as his Bo-Rifle was split in half. The two pieces fell from his grasp and onto the floor, both ends still crackling fiercely, the area where Kanan's lightsaber had passed through glowing white-hot around the edges.

Kallus backed away from Kanan and Sabine, who rose to her feet and aimed her blasters at him.

Kanan advanced, staring at his adversary with wariness in his gaze, but Agent Kallus had nothing left to fight with except for his own two fists - which were useless in a situation like this.

Agent Kallus felt his back press against a wall. His eyes flickered from the Mandolorian girl's blasters, so close he could have reached out and touched the muzzle of one, to the Jedi's lightsaber, which was now an inch from his throat.

"Give it up, Kallus," Kanan growled. "It's over." With one hand, Kanan snatched the com from Agent Kallus' belt (which the Imperial's gloved fingers had slowly been reaching for) and tossed it on the floor. Kallus' left eye gave a slight twitch as Sabine crushed it beneath one foot.

"You're _wrong,"_ snarled Agent Kallus. His gaze, almost crossed in order for him to look down at the tip of Jarrus' lightsaber, snapped upwards to glare at the Jedi's face. "I know you won't kill me." A broad, white, disturbing smirk was appearing on the ISB officer's lips. "You're too _weak."_

Kanan's eyebrows met as he looked into Kallus' eyes. Agent Kallus almost seemed to be peering over Kanan's _shoulder -_ and Kanan could _almost_ make out the reflection of _something_ in the the Imperial's amber gaze...

"How can you call _us_ weak when _you're_ the one stuck between a rock and a hard place?" Sabine demanded triumphantly, demonstratively adjusting the angle of her weapons.

Agent Kallus' rapidly-spreading smirk had become a chilling grin. "Because all it takes is a _rumor_ to lure you rebels into a _trap."_

Kanan's cyan eyes widened. "Sabine!" he shouted, whirling around and throwing his friend out of the way with the Force. Sabine yelped and went sprawling several feet away even as Kanan swung his lightsaber up in the nick of time, barely saving his own neck.

"Good luck getting out of _this_ one," hissed Agent Kallus with brutal satisfaction. Kanan heard the other man slink off, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Kanan's horrified face was accented with the blue light of his own blade and the red glare of his new foe's as he stared up into the ebony mask of Darth Vader himself.

 **BOOSH! Omg, I bet you guys didn't see THAT one coming. I didn't, either! The credit of the totally awesome idea of having Darth Vader himself show up in person goes to Ichichi05. You rock, Ichi! :D :D**


	12. Chapter 12

12

 **DARTH VADER** was a terrifying sight to behold. He was nearly seven feet tall in height, garbed from head to toe in sleek black armor and a long cape. The visor of his helmet, which covered his entire head and face, was tinted red. And he was all the more frightening when you were unfortunate enough to meet him in mêlée combat, lightsaber-on-lightsaber.

Kanan bravely tried to conceal his fear. He had never seen Darth Vader in person before - only on a couple HoloNet broadcasts in which the cyborg could be seen at Emperor Palpatine's side - and had certainly never wished to. He also knew little more about Darth Vader than the facts that Vader was Emperor Palpatine's second... _and_ extremely dangerous.

Kanan could feel the Dark Side of the Force resonating from his new opponent. It combined with his terror to chill his blood. He had to struggle to shut out the cold, anger, and hatred.

"I have heard much about you, Kanan Jarrus," growled Darth Vader. His voice was mechanically altered, muffled, and slightly magnified in sound by his mask, as was his breathing. "Given all the trouble your cell has caused, I expected _more."_

Kanan was not in the mood for the snarky quip he would typically reply with. "Specter Five!" he shouted. He could hear that his own voice was a couple octaves higher than average. "Call the others. We need to get out of here. Now!"

"You will not be leaving here alive." Darth Vader walked forward, his boots resounding on the metallic floor. Kanan's own feet slid as he strained to press Vader back. "Your companion may call reinforcements if she has time before Agent Kallus silences her, but let them come. I will crush them all, just as I am about to crush _you."_

Kanan fearfully glanced over at Sabine. She was still on her front on the floor multiple feet away, stirring with a dazed moan. The sight of Agent Kallus, poised above Sabine for the third time with the still-operational, separated halves of his Bo-Rifle, sent an extra wave of horror through Kanan.

 _"Sabine!"_ he shouted, throwing the codenames they normally used to the wind. There was no doubt that Darth Vader already knew who she really was. _"Sabine, move!"_

It almost sounded like Darth Vader chuckled. "Your friend-"

Whatever cold thing Darth Vader was about to say, Kanan never got to hear it. Sabine raised her head, then swiftly rolled to the side as Agent Kallus lunged the remnants of his Bo-Rifle downwards. All the agent hit was the floor.

Sabine had dropped her blasters, but she leapt to her feet, seizing the nearest one. She pointed it at Agent Kallus even as she grabbed her com. "Specter Two!" she shrieked, staring in terror at Kanan and Darth Vader. "We need a lift - _right now!"_

Darth Vader emitted a low growl. "Finish the girl, Kallus!"

"No!" Kanan shoved forward with all of his might. Darth Vader stepped back once, and that was all Kanan needed. "Sabine! _Run!"_

"I'm _not_ leaving you here, Kanan!" Sabine shouted, firing at Agent Kallus as the agent darted towards her. Now that his Bo-Rifle had been split, he couldn't deflect her shots as safely as before, and could only narrowly dodge them. On top of that, Kallus' shoulder was mildly injured from when Sabine had shot him earlier, giving his enemy a further advantage.

"GO!" Kanan leapt away from Darth Vader, forcing the awful cyborg to follow him. "I'll be right with you, Sabine! This won't be like the last time, I swear it!"

Sabine could only believe him. Managing to nail Agent Kallus in the breastplate with one last blaster bolt, she clipped her com back onto her belt, grabbed her other rifle, and sprinted for the hole Kanan had previously sliced into the freighter's side.

Darth Vader reached out one black-gloved hand, curling his fingers inward, and Sabine froze. The Mandolorian clutched at her throat, gasping for breath, as she was lifted several inches off the ground by an unseen grasp.

Kanan's eyes widened. He lunged towards Darth Vader, swinging his lightsaber. Vader dropped Sabine and turned back to Kanan, meeting the Jedi in a clashing of blades.

Sabine rubbed her throat, struggling to recover even as she scrambled back up and out of the freighter after one last glance Kanan's way.

Kanan was relieved to see her go, but he was going to keep his promise, even though the results of this battle seemed like they would be ill-fated for him.

"Your companion may have slipped away today, Jedi, but I assure you: _you_ will not be so fortunate," Darth Vader snarled. As he once more struggled to overpower Vader, Kanan believed him.

That's when the entire freighter gave a sudden lurch. Darth Vader staggered and fell, his lightsaber sheathing itself as it rolled from the Imperial's grasp. Kanan stumbled too, but was able to keep his balance. Grinning in relief, Kanan ran, leaping over Agent Kallus' unconscious body, then sprinted through the hole he'd created earlier after Sabine.

What he would do without Hera, Kanan didn't know.

Darth Vader raised his head, growling, then lifted one hand. His lightsaber flew to his grasp.

 _These rebels will_ not _escape me unscathed._


	13. Chapter 13

13

 **OUTSIDE OF** the Imperial freighter, everything was a catastrophe. The flames from the storage building Sabine had blown up had spread to other buildings, sending sparks and a vibrant orange glow high into the late night sky. Smaller fires and scorch marks peppered the landing area, and the stormtroopers (the ones who weren't strewn around haphazardly, knocked out) couldn't put them out because the _Ghost_ was keeping them busy running for their lives.

The large Corellian ship hovered a few feet above the docking bay several yards from the Imperial freighter, the entry ramp hanging wide open so Kanan could board. The nose cannons were firing at any stormtroopers who were stupid enough to try and shoot the ship, but the gun that hit the most targets was Zeb's. The Lasat stood just above the entry ramp, cackling uproariously as he picked overbrave stormtroopers off with his Bo-Rifle. Kanan managed a grin through his terror when he spotted Zeb, glad that Hera was letting Zeb in on some fun despite his twisted ankle.

Kanan made a beeline for the _Ghost,_ adrenaline and a little assistance from the Force pushing him into an even quicker sprint and swifter jumps when a patch of flame or unconscious stormtrooper blocked his path. He could still feel the powerful presence of the Dark Side behind him, chilling him from head to toe with no regard of the fierce fires all around or Kanan's physical exertions.

Kanan was merely a few more feet from the Ghost when a blaster bolt clipped his unarmored shoulder from up ahead. He yelped loudly in pain and surprise, stumblingly slowing down. He gripped at his bleeding shoulder and stared ahead. A particularly clever stormtrooper was standing just behind the _Ghost._ Kanan could make out the buckethead's black blaster pointed directly at him.

"Specter One!" shouted Zeb, his bright green eyes wide. He had just barely glimpsed Kanan get shot.

"I'm okay!" Kanan yelled back, quickly brushing off his hand on the front of his tunic and pulling his DL-18 blaster from its holster. The stormtrooper spotted this and rapidly began firing at Kanan again, but the Jedi was expecting it this time. Kanan dodged the blaster bolts and returned fire, taking the Imperial out after only two pulls of his trigger.

Ignoring the pain in his shoulder as best as he could, Kanan sped up again, leaping up onto the entry ramp with a boost from the Force. Zeb grabbed onto Kanan's uninjured arm and pulled his friend inside all the way.

Zeb abruptly hit a button on a panel on the wall and the entry ramp folded shut. "I've got Kanan aboard!" the Lasat roared. "Let's get the heck out of here!" Then he turned to Kanan, staring worriedly at the crimson stain spreading on the Jedi's shoulder. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Fine," Kanan lied.

Zeb holstered his Bo-Rifle and gave Kanan a jab to the chest with one finger. "Get it taken care of, _now._ Then you'd better meet us all in the common room and tell us what happened down there. And before you do that, you should probably change shirts." Zeb narrowed his eyes at Kanan. "In case you didn't notice, you've gotten a little blood on this one."

Kanan sighed, but he appreciated Zeb's rough compassion. "You got it, Zeb. Tell Hera to get us off-world and in hyperspace as quickly as she can. I'll see you in a minute."

Darth Vader emerged from the Imperial freighter, staring up after the Corellian ship as it took off into the night. His ebony armor reflected the flickering orange light of the blazes burning everywhere and the constant red glow of the lightsaber he held at his side.

He sheathed his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt, clenching his black-gloved fists slightly as he stalked towards one of the many, many stormtroopers who were scattered across the ground. Darth Vader prodded the stormtrooper with his boot; no response further than a soft groan. He would need to find someone else to answer his question.

Before Darth Vader could even move to find such a stormtrooper, one came running over to him. The Sith Lord turned to study him and gleaned from the identifying brown pad on the stormtrooper's shoulder that this was a commander.

The commander saluted. "Sir, your TIE has been prepped."

"I will not be needing it. Was the ship tagged?"

"Yes, sir." The commander gestured to the unconscious stormtrooper by Darth Vader's feet. "He managed to attach a tracker to the ship's underbelly before the Jedi shot him."

"Excellent. Contact Grand Moff Tarkin at once. I will need to be aboard a vessel that can access hyperspace."

"Sir, yes, sir!" The commander bolted off.

Darth Vader watched him go, then again gazed up into the orange-tinged darkness.

It was not long before he sensed another man approaching him from behind, just as he had expected.

"You have failed me, Agent Kallus," Darth Vader rumbled, turning around to stare at the panting, injured agent of the Imperial Security Bureau. He slowly raised one hand, watching with satisfaction as Kallus' amber eyes widened and filled with fear.

Immediately, Agent Kallus let out a choked gasp. His face completely drained of color and he clutched at his throat in pain and desperation, struggling vainly as he was lifted high off the ground.

"Do not fail me again," warned the black-garbed Sith Lord ominously, "or I assure you: that failure will be your _last."_

Darth Vader abruptly released the man with an air of disdain. Agent Kallus fell and landed hard on his hands and knees, shuddering and gasping long breaths through his raw throat.

Vader had already turned and begun walking away. He had heard far too many tales of Kallus' past disappointments. It was unacceptable. The Rebellion of Lothal, as the infamous uprising had begun to be called, had reached a point where it must be destroyed at any and all costs. The fact that it had not been snuffed out when it was but a mere spark irritated Darth Vader immensely. Those who could not serve the Empire properly must be removed before they could hinder this dire operation any further.

As Agent Kallus was high in rank and had been responsible for the utter decimation of an entire rebellious species, Darth Vader could understand and respect why the ISB agent had been kept alive for so long. But Kallus' promise had taken a steady decline since the first major recording of rebel activity on Lothal. This mission was too vital for Darth Vader to allow Agent Kallus to get in the way one more time.

At least Kallus was no longer of importance to the procedure at hand, and could not be permitted to be. Even if the rebels managed to escape him again, Vader knew, they would still be vanquished very, very soon. Their foolish search for their Padawan would be their ultimate destruction. Their arrival at the docking bay was simply a small part of a much larger trap. And while most of the rebel crew might not walk past the point of no return, it was impossible that their leader, the Jedi - as the disappointingly inadequate insurgent called himself - would _not._

And once the Empire cut the head off of the rebellion, its body would surely fall.


	14. Chapter 14

14

 **AFTER HIS** brief conversation with Zeb, Kanan headed to his cabin as promised to take care of his injury and swap shirts. The more Kanan moved, the more his wound bled and ached.

The door opened and slid shut behind him with a pneumatic hiss. Kanan briefly stood in front of it, taking in his virtually empty and undecorated cabin. Multiple times over, he had considered (and Sabine had _repeatedly_ offered) adding some sort of decoration or extra furniture to break up its monotony, but he had always decided against it. Kanan was a man who appreciated practicality, and he didn't want any distractions while he was trying to fall asleep or meditating. In those categories, Kanan's cabin was perfect just the way it was.

Kanan walked over to a large panel on the far left wall. He pressed a single button beside it and it popped open, producing a sound similar to the one the door did. Inside was a shallow closet, within which hung various articles of clothing. It was pretty clear by looking inside that Kanan _really_ liked gray pants, green tunics, and navy blue undershirts.

Kanan selected a replacement undershirt and tunic, shut the closet, and placed them on his nearby bed. Then he unbuckled the armor on his left shoulder and arm. After putting that on the bed as well, he proceeded to remove his bloodstained apparel as gently as possible. It took a lot longer than it normally should have, but he still winced and bit his lip despite his cautious efforts.

Kanan dropped his ruined shirts on the floor and hesitantly glanced over at his injured shoulder. He grimaced as he inspected it as best as he could. Though Kanan had gotten lucky - the blaster bolt had not hit him full-on; it had merely clipped him - it was still a pretty unfortunate and unpleasant wound. He knew he wouldn't be able to fend Darth Vader off again anytime soon.

Just as he was bending down to look for medical supplies in the drawers on the metallic edge of his bed, he heard a knock on the door.

Kanan paused and straightened, turning around to look at the door. He scowled slightly in frustration. He didn't want anyone to see how bad his injury looked, and getting caught half-naked wasn't a plus, either. Unfortunately, he didn't have much of a choice at the moment.

"Come in," he called awkwardly.

The doors opened, and Kanan was even more aggravated to see Hera Syndulla standing where they had been. Her vibrant emerald eyes widened in surprise and embarrassment.

"I-I'm sorry, Kanan," she said quickly, becoming a little pink in the face. Kanan had forgotten that Twi'leks could blush. "I came to see if you were okay. Zeb said you were injured."

Kanan sat on the bed beside his replacement clothes with a sigh. "It's alright, Hera. To be honest, I could use a little help."

Hera immediately spotted the bloody gash on his right shoulder and gasped in horror, dashing over to him. "What _happened_ to you, Kanan?!" she demanded.

"It's a bit of a long story, and it's best that Sabine and I tell it in the common room together," Kanan said, trying to give her a reassuring smile. "I'm okay, really. I'm just not too sure if I can treat it properly with only one hand."

Hera's lekku twitched - in annoyance, Kanan assumed. "You have to be more careful," she muttered as she bent over, opening a small, rectangular panel on the edge of Kanan's bed by simply pressing it with one hand. She shoved it closed again after removing a miniature first-aid kit, then straightened again. She put the first-aid kit on Kanan's bed and opened it, withdrawing a roll of gauze, a few absorbent puffs, and a couple bottles, the contents of which Kanan suspected would sting a lot. "Next time, maybe you won't be so lucky, and where would any of us be without you?"

Kanan winced. He _did_ try to be careful, _always._ But more often then not, he was hurt in battle. The Empire just seemed to get more and more souped up with each time the Ghost crew struck. "I know, Hera. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry; be _careful,"_ Hera said, raising one thin black eyebrow and giving him a small smile. She treated his wound (he had been right about it stinging) and tied his gauze off extra tightly.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you did that on purpose," Kanan noted, glancing at her with a vague smirk of amusement.

"What? Whyever would I do that, love?" Hera asked innocently, putting the medical equipment away.

Kanan rolled his cyan eyes and gave her a gentle, playful nudge with his elbow. "No idea." He stood up, quickly yet gingerly pulling on his new-but-mostly-identical-to-his-previous-ones shirts. He then picked up part of his armor and stared at it, wondering how in the Outer Rim he was going to get it on again.

Hera took it from him. "Here, let me." She strapped the dark green armor back onto his left arm. It only took her a minute or two. Then she stepped back and surveyed him. "There. All better."

"Thanks, Hera," Kanan said, smiling at her gratefully. "You're the best."

"I know," she teased. "Now, go throw those away-" she gestured to the small pile of torn and soiled shirts on the floor-"and I'll meet you in the common room, okay?"

"Okay," Kanan agreed. As she turned to go, however, she caught sight of the thinking look on his face. Noticing that it seemed artificial, she paused and raised both eyebrows at him.

"What is it?" she asked, folding her arms. A small smirk appeared on her lips.

Kanan blinked at her. "You forgot to kiss it."

Hera laughed, extremely amused. "Oh, poor widdle Jedi. How could I have been so cruel?" She stepped over and softly kissed his shoulder, then gave his armored one a light punch and left the room.

Kanan grinned after her, then sighed, looking back on what had just happened with conflicting expressions of amusement and mortification on his tan face. Despite the embarrassing parts, the whole scenario was a much-needed refresher after his terrifying encounter with Darth Vader (and the typical daily workout with Agent Kallus), and even though Hera was far from knowing the whole story yet, he was pretty sure she'd known he had needed it.

He gathered up his discarded clothing and left his cabin. After disposing of the ruined garments as Hera had requested, he headed straight for the common room, where Zeb, Chopper, Sabine, and Hera were all waiting to hear the reenactment of the failed investigation of the Imperial docking bay.


	15. Chapter 15

15

 **THE CREW** sat around the Dejarik table together as Kanan and Sabine recounted their ill-fated search of the Imperial docking bay. It was mostly Kanan who told the parts about Darth Vader, and although he was tempted to lie about just how outmatched he had been - he didn't want his friends to be more afraid than they already were - he could not. Lying about it now would probably cause his crewmates to underestimate Vader in the future - which would only end in tragedy.

Hera stared at Kanan in horror as he described Darth Vader and could plainly see the Jedi Knight's face draining of color as he spoke. (Kanan had, of course, made sure he scored the seat next to hers.) "Who was he, Kanan? Another Inquisitor?"

Kanan shook his head slowly. "Worse. A Sith Lord."

Hera paled. He had told her about those once, but Zeb and Sabine stared at Kanan in confusion.

"What's a... _Sith_ Lord?" Sabine asked hesitantly.

Kanan solemnly considered this before he answered her. "The Dark Side of the Force is powerful, but dangerous and corruptive for the same reason. It draws upon the user's hatred, anger, and fear," he said quietly. "Sith Lords draw on it, manipulate it, to become overwhelmingly strong. If the Inquisitor was a disciple of it, the Darth Vader is a master."

A wary silence briefly blanketed the Dejarik table as each member wondered what that meant for the Ghost crew. That is, everyone was wondering this except for Kanan. Kanan cupped his goateed chin in his hands, his eyebrows scrunched together as he remembered a day that continued to haunt him... the day he and Ezra had lured the Inquisitor to Fort Anaxes.

Kanan shuddered faintly. Closing his cyan eyes, he could see it all over again.

 _Kanan stirred from unconsciousness to find pebbles and debris rising inches off the ground. He lifted his head, staring at them in weary surprise, then looked up to witness a scene that made his blood run cold._

"NO!"

 _His young Padawan, Ezra Bridger, stood on the edge of a precipice in the semidarkness of the abandoned fort. The Inquisitor stood several feet before him, holding two lightsabers, one in each hand - his own and Kanan's. The two blades threw Ezra's anguished, snarling face into dark shadow and crimson and azure light._

 _Kanan could feel the chill of the Dark Side even from where he lay. It was washing off of Ezra Bridger in a tsunami of dark power._

"Ezra," _he whispered, his tourmaline gaze wide with horror._ "No."

 _The Inquisitor was slowly drawing back in alarm as Ezra's fingers curled. The adolescent boy's ebony hair was caught in the invisible flow of the Force as the debris on the ground was, whipping across his forehead and steeply converged eyebrows._

 _Ezra raised his arms, which shook with effort as though he was forcing himself to lift something too heavy to carry. And Kanan stared on in terror as a gargantuan Fyrnock clambered its way up onto the precipice's edge to stand beside Ezra._

 _His face still contorted with malice, Ezra pointed towards the Inquisitor as though he was moving his hand through a thick and sluggish liquid. The Inquisitor activated the fan function of his lightsaber, stepping backwards rapidly as the Fyrnock emitted an earsplitting shriek and leapt towards him._

 _Kanan was on his feet now and sprinting forward at top speed as Ezra Bridger's eyes rolled back into his head. The boy crumpled to his knees, then slumped over, nearly sliding off the edge of the cliff, out cold._

"Kanan." Someone was snapping their fingers by Kanan's ear. "Kanan. Are you alright?"

Kanan lurched to attention and found his three friends staring at him with concern.

"Y-Yeah," Kanan stammered faintly, his mind still flashing with the scenes of the terrifying incident at Fort Anaxes. He had never told any of the other rebels about what had happened to Ezra that day, as if sharing the awful moment with someone else would make it far too real, too meaningful. He had desperately reassured himself that everything would be fine when Ezra seemed to recover perfectly - and even passed a deadly test at a Jedi Temple, gaining the rare award of a kyber crystal after he did. "I'm... I'm fine." _Why does every mission I send Ezra on come crashing down in flames?_

Hera's thin black eyebrows met. "You're shaking." She was close enough to him to feel it.

Kanan grimaced. Maybe he shouldn't have sat beside Hera after all. In fact, maybe he should have stood up while the others sat around the Dejarik table. _What can I say... she's irresistible._ "It's nothing, guys, I swear. Today has just been... rough."

Sabine nodded in solemn agreement.

Hera, too, nodded, but did so slowly, gazing at Kanan in a way that let him know she knew his excuse was not the whole truth. "So..." Her voice was low. "Ezra... wasn't there?"

Kanan looked down at the black-and-white-checkered tabletop. "No," he said heavily. "I couldn't sense him. And by the time I realized it, inside the freighter... Sabine and I were already up to our necks in Imperials."

Silence draped over them again.

Zeb broke it, his ears twitching and his lime green gaze fixed on Kanan. "Where are we gonna look now, Kanan?"

Hera and Sabine both looked over at Kanan as well, their faces nervous and expectant.

Kanan took a deep breath and let it out again, his mind racing as he grasped at ideas, formulating them into a plan. "The Imperials will be on our tail now," he said slowly. "Somehow, they know that Ezra was at that docking bay. I think they know he's missing and that we're looking for him, and I have a bad feeling that they have something to do with all of this."

Hera's eyes widened. _"No._ Do you think they...?"

"I'm not sure about it yet. We still have hope," Kanan said grimly, then asked his friends, "Do you remember that Imperial cadet Ezra's told us about? The one he met at the Academy, his friend in the Empire - ah, Zane..."

"Zare Leonis," Sabine recalled.

"Yes, that's it! Anyway, I think the safest way to find out for sure if the Empire has Ezra is to find Zare Leonis and ask him. The only problem with that is I have no idea where Zare might be."

There was a third brief silence. Zeb and Hera looked at each other, at a loss for ideas.

Then Sabine cleared her throat.

"I think I just might be able to find that out," she said quietly.


	16. Chapter 16

16

 **THE OTHER** three rebels present turned to stare at Sabine quizzically.

Sabine rested her armored elbows on the Dejarik table and blinked at them. At some point after Kanan had seen her last - fleeing from the Imperial freighter - she had removed her helmet, leaving her pretty Mandalorian features and dyed hair visible. The 16-year-old explosives expert explained her plan with only one word.

"Tseebo," she said.

While Hera was in the cockpit (where Chopper was busy flying the _Ghost)_ contacting Fulcrum, Kanan and Sabine (the others insisted that Zeb rest his ankle, much to the Lasat's annoyance) helped one another prep the airlock for the upcoming docking - at least, if it was possible for Fulcrum to briefly reunite them with Tseebo at all.

Hera put the Ghost on autopilot as it glided through hyperspace, then drew Chopper aside and instructed him to holocall Fulcrum. She sat in her chair, waiting only for a second. Then the holographic blue image of Fulcrum appeared before her.

"Hera?" Fulcrum questioned, her mechanically edited voice querying. "What is it?"

"Fulcrum," Hera said urgently, fixing her eyes on the hooded woman. "Ezra has disappeared. We suspect the obvious: the Empire must have taken him."

Fulcrum was silent for a moment, perhaps caught off guard by this revelation. "Explain."

Hera told the entire story: how Kanan had thought a solo op would do Ezra good and sent him to the local Imperial docking bay to steal a crate of food. However, that was a _very_ long time ago, and there was still no sign of him whatsoever. When they had gone to search for him at Ezra's abandoned transmission tower, Ezra had not been there, and it had seemed as though no one had for quite a while. Hera informed Fulcrum how Kanan and Sabine had proceeded to go to the Imperial docking bay and had encountered an unusually heavy Imperial presence, including the Empire's muscle, Agent Kallus, and a mysterious, extremely powerful Sith Lord named Darth Vader. Hera added that Kanan had not been able to sense Ezra in the docking bay.

Fulcrum listened silently as Hera finished her tale.

"Sabine had an idea that will almost definitely allow us to find out whether or not Ezra is being held captive by the Empire or not: meet up with Tseebo. Tseebo will be able to scan the Empire's digital database for any files on Ezra, and if those files are encrypted or nonexistent, then Tseebo might be able to contact Ezra's old friend in the Empire, Zare Leonis. We'll ask Zare if he's heard anything about Ezra recently."

Fulcrum was quiet for a little longer. Then she said, "Judging by how heavily Kanan and Sabine were attacked at the docking bay, the Empire definitely expected you were coming. That means they know something about Ezra's disappearance or, more likely, are responsible for it." She fell silent again.

Hera's eyebrows met. "Please, Fulcrum, you have to help us. We won't be the same without Ezra, and if the Empire has him, I can't bear to think what they'll do to him." Tears were spilling out from Hera's bright green eyes and her voice was slowly becoming choked. "Kanan was strong enough to resist torture, but Ezra is only a boy. I don't know how long he'd be able to-"

"Hera," Fulcrum interrupted gently. "Calm down. I will summon Tseebo at once. Meet the ship he will be aboard here." She gave Hera the coordinates. "We will do all we can to return Ezra to you. Fulcrum out."

The holocall ended. Chopper buzzed and rotated his dome, bumping softly into Hera's leg.

"I'm okay, Chop," Hera murmured, patting the battered Astromech fondly. "I'm just terrified for Ezra." She shook her head. "I hope we'll be able to find out whether the Empire took Ezra. If they didn't, then I will feel much better."

Chopper's orange dome spun around again and he beeped several times, then rolled out of the cockpit.

Hera smiled faintly, stood up, and walked after him.

 _Oh, Ezra..._ please _be okay._


	17. Chapter 17

17

 **IN TRUTH,** Sabine was the one who did most of the airlock prepping, as Kanan could only use one arm and he was still a little too worn out to use the Force to move things. Kanan expressed his guilt, but Sabine just laughed and rolled her eyes at him. That made Kanan smile, but he still refused to sit idly while Sabine worked.

"That shoulder is _never_ going to heal if you don't take it easy, Kanan," Sabine finally scolded, marching over to Kanan and grabbing the malfunctional hovercrate he was struggling to lift. "I can't bear to see you putting yourself in pain like that."

Kanan was wincing, his good hand gingerly touching his wounded shoulder. "I know, Sabine... I'm sorry."

"You should be, and you're _going_ to be if you don't give your shoulder a break." Sabine frowned at him. "Swear that you will."

Kanan rubbed the back of his head (always using his uninjured arm). "Fine," he said reluctantly.

"You have to _say_ it," Sabine pressed.

Kanan smirked slightly in amusement. "Okay, okay. I _swear."_

"Better." Sabine carried the crate off.

Kanan scowled in frustration once she turned away. He hated, hated, _hated_ being hurt. He couldn't stand not being able to help. Luckily, though, Sabine was basically done. She worked fast, and Kanan had managed to do a little.

And _Hera_ walked into the airlock.

Kanan turned around, hearing her entry, and smiled, relieved to see her. (She would _definitely_ take his mind off the inconvenience of his wound.) "How did it go, Hera?" He walked towards her, trying not to let the fierce aching of his shoulder shine through his efforts to conceal it.

"Great, Kanan." Hera beamed at him. "Fulcrum has sent a ship with Tseebo aboard to meet with us."

"That's fantastic." Kanan's cyan eyes were full of hope.

They didn't need to say it; if Ezra was somewhere in the Empire, the chances that they would soon know were vast. Hera gave Kanan a gentle hug.

"Ow!" Kanan gasped, jumping backwards and clutching at his shoulder.

Hera's eyes were wide with shock. "I'm sorry, Kanan, I-I didn't mean to-I was trying to be-" she stammered.

"It's okay." Kanan bit his lip. "I'm fine, don't worry."

"He was trying to _lift stuff,"_ Sabine called, much to Kanan's annoyance.

Hera folded her arms. Kanan averted his gaze so he wouldn't have to see her frustrated stare, but he could still feel it burning into his very soul.

"I can't sit by watching someone else do all the work!" Kanan blurted.

Hera sighed, irritated. "I know, Kanan. But from now on, you _have_ to let your arm _heal._ Or so help me I will just throw you out of the ship while in hyperspace and get it over with."

Kanan smiled sheepishly. "Okay, alright. I will."

Sabine drifted over, glaring at him. "How come you listen to _her_ better than you listen to _me?_ I told you to do the _exact same thing,_ and you probably weren't going to."

Kanan shrugged innocently, then winced.

Hera put an arm over Sabine's shoulders, smirking and glancing at Kanan as she whispered something to Sabine. They both snickered as they left the airlock area. Apparently, it was time to go.

Kanan stared after them incredulously. "Hey! What are you two saying about me?" he demanded, to no reply. Shaking his head with irritation, he trotted after them. "Spill!"


	18. Chapter 18

18

 **KANAN HEADED** to the cockpit, logically assuming that was where Hera and Sabine had gone and expected him to be. But as he was about to clamber up the ladder to the cockpit, something rammed into his leg.

 _"Ow!"_ he yelped, mostly more surprised than hurt. He paused in reaching for the rungs and looked down at his assailant: Chopper.

Chopper's orange dome spun around as he buzzed and bumped into Kanan's leg again.

"Come _on,"_ Kanan said, exasperated. "I won't use my bad arm!"

Chopper beeped skeptically, spinning his dome around again. _"Whrr whrr!"_

Kanan narrowed his eyes down at the battered old Astromech in annoyance, then turned back to the ladder and gripped the first rung with his good hand.

Immediately, Chopper zapped Kanan with a spark of electricity. Kanan yelled and leapt backwards. _"Oww!"_

Kanan glowered at the droid as Chopper waved his mechanical arms at him.

"You're really not going to let me up there, are you?" Kanan growled.

Chopper twisted his dome back and forth. _"Whrrr, whrr."_

Kanan bit his lip, studying Chopper thoughtfully. He sighed and turned away, then suddenly whirled around and made a mad jump for the ladder.

 _"WHRR! WHRR!"_ Chopper zapped Kanan five more times in rapid succession, extracting five corresponding cries of anger and pain from the Jedi.

 _"RRRGH!_ CHOPPER!" Kanan shouted, losing his temper. His hair stood on end and he was smoking a little as Chopper once more shoved him away from the ladder.

 _"Whrr! Whrr whrr."_ Chopper shook his arms at Kanan threateningly.

 _"Excuse me?!"_

"What's going on down here?" Sabine peered down the ladder.

 _"CHOPPER,"_ Kanan said loudly, pointing an accusatory finger at the droid, "is _assaulting_ me."

Sabine made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a poorly concealed laugh. "I know. I _told_ him to!" She disappeared.

Kanan's eye twitched. Chopper had a way of getting on everyone's nerves no matter how cool-headed they were, but the fact that Sabine had ordered the bucket of bolts to deny Kanan access to the cockpit was just the _icing_ on the cake.

Kanan just stood there, glaring at Chopper, his arms crossed. His hope was that Hera would do something about this, but Hera never showed up. No doubt she was in on this. And Chopper showed no signs of budging anytime soon.

Kanan sighed with irritation and leaned against the wall, defeated. He knew that this was Sabine's way of stopping him from aggravating his shoulder any further, but the shocking was pretty painful, too, wasn't it?

And on top of it all, Hera seemed to be _okay_ with it!

 _Girls are impossible,_ Kanan thought glumly, then walked away to share his unhappiness with Zeb, who surely felt similarly. Maybe they could cheer each other up.

 _"Wrr-wrr! Wrr-wrr!"_ Chopper spun his dome, throwing his small metal arms high in the air in celebration. There was something very, very satisfying about annoying a Jedi out of his mind.


	19. Chapter 19

19

 **"SO, DID** Chopper manage to deter Kanan?" Hera asked with amusement as she leaned over, altering the hyperspace coordinates.

Sabine chuckled as she plopped back down in her lovely, vandalized chair. "Yup, _that's_ for sure."

Hera glanced over at Sabine, frowning. "I heard him shouting down there."

"Yeah, he was pretty angry." Sabine slid on her helmet, avoiding the point Hera was clearly getting to.

Hera sighed. "Sabine, you didn't let Chopper hurt him, did you?"

"That was only for if he was being stubborn!" Sabine tried to defend her innocence, but it was sort of a measly excuse.

The Twi'lek pilot drew a hand over her pretty green face in frustration. "Sabine, Kanan is _always_ stubborn!"

"Hey, a little zap never hurt anyone for long," Sabine pointed out, then started laughing loudly. "His hair was _hilarious!"_

Hera looked annoyed, then returned her attention to changing their current hyperspace coordinates. "There." She sat upright, staring out the large bow window as her ship left hyperspace.

The rebel freighter was already waiting for them. Hera switched on the com.

"This is the _Ghost,_ come in," Hera said, then glared over her shoulder at Sabine. The young explosives expert was still giggling. _"Sabine, hush!"_

 _"_ Battle Star _, responding,_ " the com fizzled out. _"We're ready for docking, Captain Syndulla."_

"So are we, sir." Hera piloted the _Ghost_ closer to the freighter, angling her vessel so that the _Ghost_ 's airlock lined up with the _Battle Star_ 's. The other ship drifted just slightly nearer and their airlocks connected. Hera pressed a button on the control console and the _Ghost_ 's airlock fastened itself tightly in place. "Docking complete," she informed the _Battle Star._ "We'll head to the airlock to meet up with Tseebo. Over and out!"

Hera switched off the com, then stood up and walked towards the ladder.

"That was some pretty fancy com talk," Sabine noted, getting up and following her. "I must say, Captain, I am _most_ impressed."

"Be quiet, Sabine." Hera slid down the ladder.

Sabine climbed down after her, barely biting back one last, mischievous quip.


	20. Chapter 20

20

 **AFTER TELLING** Chopper to fetch Zeb and Kanan and bring them both to the airlock area, Hera set off for the same location herself. Sabine continued to walk after her.

"So... Hera..." Sabine's voice had suddenly taken on an unexpectedly somber tone. "Tseebo... did he ever tell Ezra what happened to his parents?"

A shadow fell across Hera's face at the mention of that time - and Ezra. _Hopefully, we'll be finding out what happened to him in just a few more minutes._ "No. But he told me. I... I never got around to delivering the message."

Sabine quickly hurried forward until she was trotting alongside her older friend. She stared up at Hera through the visor of her colorful Mandalorian helmet. "What did he say?"

Hera was just opening her mouth to reply when they reached the airlock. "That'll have to wait, Sabine," she said, then hurried over to the airlock. It was open now, and she could see into the airlock area of the other ship, but no one had showed up just yet.

Sabine stopped behind Hera and peered into the _Battle Star_ 's airlock. "Where is... _anyone?"_

"They should arrive in just a minute." Hera glanced over her shoulder. "It should give the others a chance to get here."

Even as she spoke, Kanan and Zeb hurried in, Chopper rolling along after them. Although Zeb still favored one foot, his ankle must have been feeling much better for him to move that quickly.

"Did we miss him?" Kanan asked worriedly as the trio slowed to a halt before Hera and Sabine.

Hera's eyes widened. "You're right, his hair _is_ hilarious," she whispered to Sabine (who sniggered), then promptly looked back at the others and shook her head. "No, you're just in time."

Kanan looked relieved. Zeb just looked impatient already.

"And _how_ long have we been docked?" he demanded, frowning at the airlock.

"Only a few minutes," Sabine filled in for Hera as the Twi'lek glanced back at the airlock as well. "They should..."

Hera tapped on Sabine's shoulder distractedly. "Sabine."

"Hold on. They should be-"

 _"Sabine,"_ Hera repeated.

"Hera, just wait a second. Tseebo should show up soon en-"

Kanan cleared his throat and pointed behind Sabine, then immediately winced and held his shoulder, having moved the wrong one.

Sabine closed her mouth and turned around. There, in the airlock, stood Tseebo.

The tall, gangly Rodian blinked at the rebels with his large black eyes. He no longer wore an Imperial Information Office suit, but a white one, featuring an orange Rebellion firebird insignia rather than that of the Empire. He was as green as ever and, of course, still had that AJ^6 cyborg construct implanted in his head.

Three tall rebels in outfits similar to Tseebo's stood behind the Rodian. They wore helmets, but the clear visors allowed the rebels to see their friendly faces.

"Hello, Tseebo!" Hera greeted the Rodian with a smile, but she was unsure whether Tseebo would say hi back or start spouting Imperial fun facts.

To Hera's surprise and delight, Tseebo returned her smile. "Long time has been!" the Rodian cried, looking around at the crew brightly. Then Hera's heart sank as Tseebo's happy smile promptly faded away. "Where... where is Ezra Bridger?"

Hera stared past Tseebo at the Battle Star rebels, who averted their gazes. _Why didn't they tell him?.._

Kanan stepped forward, still cradling his shoulder. "Tseebo..." He bit his lip for a second, not wishing to deliver the bad news to Tseebo or relive it. "Ezra's gone missing. We need you to access Imperial files for us so we can know whether or not he's been kidnapped by the Empire. If not, or the files are encrypted, we would still like to contact someone to make sure."

Tseebo stared at Kanan, crestfallen. "No, not Ezra..." he said softly. He sounded miserable. "Tseebo... sh-should have been there..."

"This is far from your fault, Tseebo," Hera told him gently, taking hold of his shoulders. "And telling you about this is the last thing we planned on doing. But you're our only hope, Tseebo." Hera stared into his eyes. _"Please..._ will you help us?"

Sabine and the others noticed something strange. A fourth rebel scrambled out of nowhere within the _Battle Star_ and whispered something to the other three. The trio looked very alarmed and began a heated, whispered conversation with the fourth rebel.

Hera and Tseebo, however, did not see this, focused as they were on the matter at hand.

"Of course Tseebo help," Tseebo said, his voice quiet. "Tseebo will always help." He gave a small nod, then stepped into the _Ghost_ and walked past the rebel crew. He stopped in a vacant corner of the airlock area and stepped around to face them. Hera, Sabine, and the others turned to watch, no longer paying any attention to the worried-seeming _Battle Star_ foursome.

Tseebo shook his head, his AJ^6 cyborg construct immediately projecting holographic information. File after file flickered by at lightning speed for over a minute before stopping suddenly on an image.

It was unmistakably one of Ezra Bridger.

Eyes stretched wide all around.

"That has to be it, Tseebo!" Hera cried.

"What does it say?" Kanan put in urgently, as Zeb and Sabine exchanged ecstatic glances.

"File on Ezra Bridger encrypted, decipher it Tseebo cannot," Tseebo said grimly. The rebels sagged. "But this does resemble other files... on Imperial convicts."

The rebels stared at him in horror.

Hera recovered as quickly as possible. "But you can't say for sure."

"No, Tseebo cannot." The hologram flickered, then disappeared. Tseebo looked even sadder than before. "Tseebo now contact your someone?"

Hera dipped her head. "Yes. His name is..." She glanced back at the _Battle Star_ 's airlock and discovered that all of the rebels who had been there were now gone. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she lowered her voice anyway as she looked at Tseebo again. _"...Zare Leonis."_

Tseebo nodded. He concentrated, and then the holograms reappeared. Encrypted code and text scrolled by. Hera could tell that the Rodian had been practicing with his cybernetic implant since the first - and last - time she had seen him. Finally, the text stopped and Tseebo spoke. "Zare Leonis, Imperial cadet at the Officers Academy on Arkanis." He looked up and stared at the crew. _"This_ is your contact?"

Hera understood Tseebo's confusion. She offered him a small smile. "He spies on the Empire for us. At least, he used to, up until a few months ago."

"Leonis was transferred from Lothal to Arkanis," Tseebo explained, then shook his head. "All Imperials no good, Hera. Leonis to be trusted not."

"We _can_ trust Zare," Sabine protested. _"Ezra_ trusted him. They were friends."

Tseebo hesitated. Obviously, Sabine's revelation of Ezra having befriended Zare was changing his opinion. "Tseebo is contacting Zare Leonis now."

The holographic files vanished, immediately replaced by a live image of Zare Leonis.

The Imperial cadet leaned forward, staring at them; then his eyes widened. _"_ You _guys!"_ he exclaimed, startled, then lowered his voice. _"Why are you calling me?! And how?!"_

"We can't explain that right now, Zare," Kanan informed him. "We need you to tell us something."

Zare opened his mouth, then stopped and gave a tiny nod.

"Ezra has disappeared," Hera told the young Imperial, worry written all over her face once more. "We need to know if the Empire took him or not - and we thought that you might be able to tell us."

Kanan frowned ever so slightly as Zare's eyes widened and the boy began to speak rapidly. _"_ No! _No, I had_ no idea _he went missing. I'm... I'm sorry, you guys. I can't help you."_ Zare glanced over his shoulder, then quickly looked back at them. _"I have to go."_

"Thank you anyway, Zare," Hera said, but her eyes were watering.

Tseebo ended the holocall and blinked at the rebels regretfully. "Tseebo is sorry Tseebo could not be of use."

"No, Tseebo," Kanan said softly, reaching out his good hand. "Believe it or not, you helped us a lot."

Tseebo gazed at Kanan briefly, then shook the Jedi's hand. "Tseebo will try to believe."

After that, the rebels exchanged hugs and handshakes with the Rodian. Even Chopper buzzed and gently butted into Tseebo's leg. Tseebo patted the droid on the dome, then waved glumly. "Again farewell, rebels," he said, backing towards the airlock and dipping his head. "Tseebo hope he will see you again - and that time, with Ezra Bridger."

"Us too, Tseebo," Sabine murmured. The others nodded in solemn agreement. They all had distant, mournful eyes, for they were all thinking the same thing.

 _If Tseebo and Zare couldn't find out what happened to Ezra... then who can?_


	21. Chapter 21

21

 **BEFORE TSEEBO** could turn and walk away, one of the _Battle Star_ crewmembers from before came running. He darted past Tseebo and staggered to a halt, panting, in front of the alarmed _Ghost_ crew.

"What's the matter?!" Hera yelped, staring down at him. He was stooped over, his hands on his knees.

"The... the captain... scanned your ship... a-and... nngh... we scanned it... again... we... confirmed..." he gasped.

"Take a moment to catch your breath, sir," murmured Hera, concerned.

"We can't understand a _word_ you're saying," Zeb told him with irritation.

The man took several deep breaths, then straightened, staring at Hera urgently. _"Captain Hera, your ship was tagged!"_

Hera's eyes rounded. _"No,"_ she whispered, then whirled around, bolting for the cockpit.

"WHAT?!" Zeb roared in shock, then limped after her as fast as he could.

Kanan was still processing this. _Tagged... we've been tracked this whole time._ "Sabine, get to the turret!" he shouted. "Chop, go with Hera. I'll be right with you!" After Chopper and Sabine had hurried off, Kanan faced the rebel messenger urgently. "You need to tell the captain to get your ship and Tseebo out of here right now!"

The messenger nodded rapidly, his face drained of color. Spinning around, he saw that Tseebo had already gone, so he sprinted back into the _Battle Star_ to obey Kanan's orders. Even though Kanan was not his captain, what the Jedi had told him to do was the _right_ thing to do.

Kanan stared as the airlock hissed shut, his mind silently racing.

 _We must have been tagged while we were getting out of the docking bay. I should have_ known _our escape was too easy. Now... if_ Vader's _followed us..._

Kanan could not bare the thought.

He dashed after Hera and the others. All he could do was hope that disaster was not about to fall.


	22. Chapter 22

22

 **HERA WAS** already in her pilot's seat, frantically shoving levers, hitting buttons, and entering hyperspace coordinates. Her mind was completely set on what she was doing, so she scarcely heard and did not pay attention to when Zeb entered the cockpit and sat in Sabine's seat, ready to start shooting if he needed to. But when the ship's com began to scream, Hera could not ignore it.

 _"Captain Syndulla! There's something coming out of hyperspace - something_ big! _"_

Hera froze, staring in horror as a vast Star Destroyer appeared out of nowhere.

The tears that had gathered in her wide green eyes when Tseebo and Zare had been unable to help slid down her cheeks.

"This is all my fault," she whispered, trembling as she resumed her efforts and doubled her speed. "I should have had Chopper run a diagnostic when we left Lothal."

 _I just hope that no one has to pay the price._

Aboard the Star Destroyer _Vidian,_ Darth Vader coldly stared out into space. There was the Corellian ship, as well as a freighter that he knew must be part of another rebel cell - unless they were both small fractions of something much, much larger.

Darth Vader sensed someone approaching and turned to meet a young officer. "M-my lord, should we send them a warning message?" the man stammered.

 _"No."_ Darth Vader stared down at him. "Tell the captain to open fire at once and continue firing until _both_ of those ships are _destroyed._ Capture all escape pods in the tractor beam and bring any survivors directly to _me."_

"Y-yes, sir!" The officer scrambled off.

Darth Vader faced the viewing window again. It was foolish of the rebels to believe that they had escaped him. And though originally his plan had to be to capture at least one of them for interrogation (preferably the Jedi), when Grand Moff Tarkin had sent the Star Destroyer, Tarkin had also contacted Vader and provided him with new instructions.

His primary objective was now to eradicate them all.


	23. Chapter 23

23

 **NEITHER OF** the captains of the two rebel ships were interested in having a shootout with a Star Destroyer. Star Destroyers were extremely formidable battleships, and even one of them could easily blow up a smaller ship. In short, their gunpower was right there in the name.

The captain of the _Battle Star,_ Kiko Ferres, scrambled at the controls of his freighter. "I don't know about you, Syndulla, but I don't feel like getting blown up today," he muttered, sweat trickling down his dark forehead. Having punched in the hyperspace coordinates, he looked up, expecting to see the black, star-spangled void outside melt into streaks of bright blue and white.

But nothing happened.

Kiko's auburn eyebrows scrunched together as he activated the internal com. "Lyna, what's up with the hyperdrive?!"

 _"I-I'm not sure, Captain!"_ Lyna stammered back, her voice high and stressed. _"It seems to be okay-holy kriff!"_ she shrieked.

"What is it, Lyna, what is it?!" Kiko yelled desperately, his light green eyes stretching wide. "Come on, we gotta get out of here!"

 _"Th-the hyperdrive- it's been disabled, sir!"_

Kiko's eyes widened even more. _Mutiny. This has all been one big setup!_

"Get it up and running again, ASAP!"

 _"Sir, yes, sir!"_

His finger still on the internal com button, Kiko proceeded to order, "Everyone who can, get into the escape pods! Gunners, get to the guns, and hold your fire until you have my word!"

Kiko released the internal com button and gazed back out at the huge Imperial Star Destroyer that loomed terrifyingly close, then contacted the Ghost, which was out of his line of sight at the moment. "Captain Syndulla, our hyperdrive has been sabotaged. We're stuck here until we get it up and running again, or until we get blown into interstellar debris."

"Please try to have a positive outlook," muttered Kiko's copilot.

Kiko ignored her.

After a moment, Syndulla contacted him back, and when she did, Kiko could not believe his ears. _"Captain... we will stay and protect your ship as best as we can until you can make the jump to lightspeed."_

"You-you will?" he stuttered, his normally icy and professional composure temporarily shattered by complete shock.

 _"Of course, Captain. I owe you as much for getting into this mess, and your freighter wasn't really built with fighting in mind. Get your shields going, and I'll do the shooting when it comes to it."_

"Thank you, Captain Syndulla," Kiko murmured. "I'm indebted." He realized that he had just been about to abandon the _Ghost_ and its crew to the Empire's nonexistent mercy and guilt began to sink in, even though he hadn't been thinking about himself so much as his large crew. It still wasn't very cool that he hadn't even thought about what might become of the other good people aboard the _Ghost._

 _"I'll call us even, Captain Ferres. Over and out."_

Kiko leaned back in his seat, briefly brooding over what had just happened. He couldn't believe that Hera would do that for him and everyone on his ship; she hardly knew them. From that day forward, Kiko decided to try to be a little bit more like Hera. It might be a delicate balance of keeping his own crew safe and keeping strangers safe, but he'd attempt to make it work.

Kiko switched on the freighter's shields, then glanced over at his co-pilot. "Any luck contacting backup yet, Ami?"

Ami shook her head with an irritated twitch of her _lekku._ She glanced up at him, a scowl on her pale blue, white-marked Togrutan face. "No. They're not responding, Captain. Either that, or this thing is busted." She tapped the holoprojector twice with one gray-gloved finger.

Kiko growled. "Great, that's _exactly_ what we need." He was just about to ask an Astromech droid to come up to the cockpit over the internal com when the Star Destroyer finally opened fire. The _Battle Star_ shook violently as the barrage collided with the shields.

Ami and Kiko yelped as the ship quaked. The fierce tremor threw the captain against the dashboard and he fell abruptly still and silent.

"Captain?!" Ami shook the man, but he did not stir. Why the idiot hadn't been wearing his helmet or a safety strap, she didn't know. With an extremely irritated hiss, she seized Kiko by the arms and hauled him into her seat, buckled him in, then hopped into the pilot's seat. She pressed the internal com button and called for a medic, then additionally advised for the crew to grab onto something.

Ami turned her dark brown gaze onto the Star Destroyer that was shooting at them without pause. She hated that she had to sit by and stare as Captain Syndulla's Corellian ship twisted and turned, fighting back.

But she had to face it. There was little that she could do to save this ship. She wasn't Kiko, and even _Kiko_ probably wouldn't have been able to save them if he was conscious.

She followed the _Ghost_ 's every expertly flown maneuver, knowing that Syndulla couldn't dodge every laser in that rainstorm of destruction and wasn't. The Star Destroyer was also equipped with strong shields that were resisting the _Ghost_ 's retributions. If Hera piloted the ship closer, her gunners might be able to get in a little damage if they pummeled the shields consistently - but if she did pilot the ship closer, the _Ghost_ would probably get caught in a tractor beam or, more likely, blown to smithereens. Ami got the feeling that the Empire wasn't too concerned with taking hostages today.

And Ami had another feeling, one that she knew was as true as the dominating presence of evil in the galaxy.

 _We're about to become real ghosts._


	24. Chapter 24

24

 **WHEN THE** Star Destroyer opened fire, so did the _Ghost._ The shields were up and running as Hera Syndulla wove her ship through the cascade of blaster bolts issued by the warship above.

Behind her, Zeb was yelling, _"Er,_ Hera, this isn't exactly a TIE Fighter!"

"That's a bit of an understatement," Hera muttered through clenched teeth. "Just keep shooting!"

"I'm just saying, I'm not really seeing the _point_ of this!"

"We protect the _Battle Star_ until it can get out of here!" Hera managed to hear Chopper enter the cockpit over all the commotion. "Chopper, contact Fulcrum and give her our coordinates. We need backup!"

 _"Wrr-wrr!"_ Chopper complained.

"I don't know!" snapped Hera, not in the mood for the Astromech's typical smart-alecking. "Just do it!"

 _"Wrr! Wrr, wrr, wrr."_ Chopper started up his holoprojector.

Hera pressed a button, activating the internal com. "I need someone on the rear gun!"

 _"Already on it, Hera, and I've got Sabine in the turret!"_ Kanan called back.

"Thanks, Kanan - but don't forget to watch that shoulder!"

Kanan's barely audible sigh of annoyance somewhat brightened the ever-hectic atmosphere of a space battle. Hera switched off the internal com with a small smile, returning her entire focus on making sure neither the _Ghost_ or the _Battle Star_ were blown up.

Aboard the Imperial Star Destroyer _Vidian,_ Darth Vader continued to observe the action taking place below. The Corellian ship was obviously protecting the rebel freighter. That was unplanned, but not unpredicted.

Darth Vader removed from his belt a com that had been provided for him. "Captain, release the TIE Fighters. Neither of these ships must remain intact."

The captain replied immediately, his voice slightly astounded. _"_ All _of the TIE Fighters, my lord?"_ Star Destroyers carried precisely 72 TIE Fighters (under the circumstances that none of them had been recently rendered to interstellar debris), and releasing all of that incredible amount on two ships that were _puny_ in comparison to the _Vidian_ (and already under extremely heavy fire) seemed a _bit_ excess.

"At once."

Defending the _Battle Star_ from fixed heavy fire was impossible when Hera couldn't get close enough to the assaulting warship to inflict any damage. The _Vidian_ 's shields were up as well, and shields that went with a ship as big as that were exceedingly tough. All Hera could do was try to protect the _Battle Star_ from losing its shields in the hopes that the freighter's hyperdrive would soon be repaired.

But as soon as the Star Destroyer detached what had to be every last TIE Fighter aboard, Hera became certain that if the hyperdrive wasn't fixed by now, then _both_ rebel ships were going down.

 _"Uuhh, Hera?"_ Kanan said anxiously over the Ghost's internal com. _"We have a problem."_

 _"You think?!"_ yelled Zeb and Sabine almost simultaneously.

At first, Hera did not reply, struck silent with fear as she stared out into space, witnessing the _Vidian_ deploy a vast wave of Imperial TIE Fighters.

Then she pulled herself together again. "Keep firing!" she shouted, then turned off the com and yelled to Chopper without taking her eyes off the perilous matter at hand. "Chopper, how's it going?!"

 _"Wrr-wrr!"_ grumbled the battered Astromech droid. _"Wrrr, wrrr."_

That was news that Hera _really_ did not need to hear at the moment. According to Chopper - and the mechanical grouch could only be right - the external com signal was being scrambled. They wouldn't be able to contact or be contacted by any outside com.

Hera's eyes widened as she realized exactly what that meant.

 _No_ backup.

 _No_ reporting to the _Battle Star._

And the _Battle Star_ would not be able to report to _them._

Hera would never be able to know if the other ship's hyperdrive was finally fixed - or even if it ever would be.


	25. Chapter 25

25

 _ **"HERA! WE**_ _can't hold off all of these TIEs!"_ shouted Kanan Jarrus over the internal com. He and everyone else at a gun fired again and again, knocking out TIEs with almost every other shot, but there were just _too_ many. _"We have to go!"_

"We _can't_ go, Kanan!" Hera cried, desperately trying to cling to hope as she sent the _Ghost_ spiralling into a roll. "We can't just _abandon_ the _Battle Star!_ The external coms are all down. We won't be able to warn them that we're leaving!"

 _"That freighter is taking major hits, Hera, and we can't protect it no matter_ how _hard we try!"_ Kanan yelled back. _"I understand how you feel. I don't want to just leave them, either. But you have to face that they_ never _stood a chance. You_ have _to let go - or_ we _will die, too!"_

"I refuse to leave them!" snapped Hera, but there were already tears streaming down her face. She knew that Kanan was right. She had known all along, but she just couldn't cope with it. "Tseebo is on that ship, Kanan! Tseebo and countless other good rebels. And they only fell into this trap because of _us!"_

 _"You know,"_ Kanan said quietly. _"You're the captain, Hera, and we are all on_ your _ship. We have to go along no matter what you choose, and again, I understand how you feel. We_ all _feel the same way. But the_ Battle Star _just isn't going to fix that hyperdrive in time._ Please, _Hera."_

Hardly feeling it as the Ghost took a hit and shuddered violently, the lights flickering on and off, Hera briefly closed her eyes.

But she had already made her choice.

It had just hurt too badly to say it out loud.

Aboard the _Battle Star,_ people were running around in a terrified panic, bustling around and shoving at the rest of the crowd as they struggled to get to the escape pods. Many had already found them and were cramming as many people as possible into each one. Pods that had been built for four or five now tightly accomodated nine or ten. A small sea of pods flew rapidly away from the ship, the majority of them being ignored by the TIE Fighters. And a select few men with the bravest hearts of all remained seated firmly in the freighter's five small, slow-firing turrets, continuing to shoot fruitlessly at the TIEs and the Star Destroyer. Sadly, these heroes would most likely go unsung.

In the cockpit, Ami was struggling to contact the _Ghost_ as the whole freighter shook again and again. "Captain Syndulla! _Please,_ come in!"

All that answered her was feedback, but she had to keep trying. She was now the only person at the controls. She had sent the medic who had arrived to help Captain Kiko to take the captain to an escape pod. "Captain Syndulla, are shields are down and the hyperdrive will not be repaired in time! Just go! I repeat, _go!"_ Ami pounded one fist on the dashboard in frustration. "Captain Syndulla, _do you read?!_ Our crew is evacuating. Get out of the blast radius! Get _ou-"_

And finally, one last wave of fire from the _Vidian_ was the end of the _Battle Star._ The ship exploded in a huge mushroom cloud of flames and bright light, utterly incinerating many escape pods and TIE Fighters that were too close. The force of the blast's outward push also sent a great amount of these small vehicles spiralling out of control.

Immediately, the large remainder of the TIEs that were not already focused on the Corellian ship took off after the _Ghost,_ shooting relentlessly even as the _Vidian_ drifted slowly forward, its tractor beam pulling many helpless escape pods into the ominous Imperial battleship.

Kanan stared miserably out at the burning wreckage of the _Battle Star._ Sometimes, it was a lightsaber in the chest to be right. The presence of the _Ghost_ had done almost nothing to hinder the freighter's inevitable destruction.

Then the _Ghost_ pulled into hyperspace, the carnage and tragedy dissolving into streaks of blue and white light.


	26. Chapter 26

26

 **ONCE THE** _Ghost_ was safe from imminent danger, the first thing Kanan thought about was Hera. He scrambled out of his chair, from which he had been operating the rear guns, and made his way to the cockpit as quickly as possible. Despite knowing that Hera (and everyone else) would disapprove, Kanan one-handedly climbed up the ladder, managing not to provoke his shoulder.

After emerging into the cockpit, Kanan stood up and briefly glanced around. Zeb and Chopper were both there, but he paid them no mind whatsoever. He hurried over to the pilot's seat. "Hera?" he murmured.

Hera's palms were pressed against her face.

Kanan gazed down at her sadly, then softly rested his good hand on her shoulder. "Hera..."

Hera slowly lowered her hands and looked up at him. Her strikingly beautiful green face was tearstreaked. "All of those people, Kanan," she whispered. "Tseebo..."

 _"Ssh._ Don't you _dare_ think this is _your_ fault." Kanan gently thumbed away her tears. "That's far from the truth."

"No, it's not!" Hera protested, her voice rising with distress. "The Empire followed us here and killed hundreds of rebels who had no idea they were coming!"

"We didn't know either," he said firmly, staring into her eyes. "They tracked us."

"I should have realized it! All of this could have been prevented!" Fresh tears spilled over Hera's cheeks.

Kanan couldn't bear to see her like that. It was unsettling to see his fierce, brave, and incredibly sarcastic captain blaming herself for something so terrible. He gripped both of her shoulders even though it sent a bolt of white-hot pain darting through his. "Hera, sometimes the future unfolds in ways that simply _can't_ be predicted! Even a vision like the one Ezra had can't be completely trusted. You remember that, don't you?"

Hera nodded faintly, but he could still feel her trembling. "I-I can't help but feel like I could have saved them," she told him faintly.

"I know." Kanan pulled her into a tight hug and held her there, letting her cry.

The moment could only be ruined, however.

"Tseebo thinks it is best to land in order for the tracking device to be removed," advised a familiarly odd voice.

Hera gasped and lifted her head, staring over Kanan's shoulder at the green Rodian as he pulled himself up into the cockpit and smiled at her.

 _"WHRR!"_ Chopper exclaimed, twisting his dome back and forth. He waved his arms at Tseebo, seeming more annoyed than happy to see him - as was Zeb.

Zeb glared at the former Imperial technician halfheartedly. _"Hey!_ You stowed away!"

Kanan promptly released Hera and turned to gaze at Tseebo in utter disbelief. _"How..."_ he stammered.

Tseebo lifted one suction-cupped fingertip. "Tseebo calculated the probability of a freighter surviving an attack by an Imperial Star Destroyer. The probability was very low. Tseebo decided that staying to aid you in the search for Ezra Bridger would be optimal."

Hera could not restrain herself from running over and engulfing the Rodian in a hug. It was almost too good to be true.

Tseebo stared at Kanan, Zeb, and Chopper, his enormous black eyes confused. "Tseebo does not understand. Is Hera Syndulla upset that Tseebo is here?"

 _"No,_ Tseebo," Hera murmured, pulling back and wiping her eyes. She grinned at the puzzled Rodian. "I couldn't be happier to see you."


	27. Bonus Chapter: The Lost Padawan

Bonus Chapter: The Lost Padawan

 **I OPENED** my eyes slowly and groggily. I noticed almost right away that my surroundings were pitch dark and my head felt sort of stuffy. I also realized a few moments later that I was cold, especially around my forehead; ankles; wrists; possibly at least two different places on my abdomen, and the entire downward-facing half of my body, as if I was laying on the floor.

I subconsciously tried to raise my hands to rub my eyes, but they wouldn't budge. My eyebrows met and I attempted to raise my head to look at them, but I couldn't get my head to move, either. I woke up completely as a jolt of panic rushed through me. _"Zeb?"_ I shouted, struggling ineffectively. Something was definitely holding me down fast. "This isn't funny!"

I expected to hear Zeb cackling at me from somewhere in the darkness. He would provide some sort of measly apology or something for this stupid prank and probably turn on the lights in our cabin before letting me go. To be honest, I was a bit intrigued to see what he'd done to me _this_ time - and what I would have to do to get him _back._ We had fun with each other.

But nothing happened. All I could hear was the loudest silence I had ever been in.

 _"Zeb?!"_ I yelled, my blood turning to ice. I squirmed again in a futile attempt to get loose, but whatever held me held me tight. I started to panic again. _"ZEB!"_

But I knew that Zeb would _not_ be coming to help me, and almost certainly had not done this. Something was very, _very_ wrong. I could feel it.

I struggled to calm down, taking deep breaths and going still. "Use the Force, Ezra," I muttered to myself, meaning to alleviate the stifling silence - but instead, my voice echoed, making me feel even more frightened and alone.

 _Use the Force._

I couldn't sense Kanan anywhere nearby. Beyond the Force, even though I couldn't see a thing, I had a bad feeling that this was not my cabin in the _Ghost._

This was not home.

 _Think. Where else could I possibly be? How did I get here... wherever_ here _is?_

I thought hard, trying to recount how I might have gotten myself into this place. All of my recent memories seemed disturbingly fuzzy, but the more I tried to remember, the clearer they became.

 _Kanan's idea. The solo op - the docking bay... something_ happened _to me there._

I just couldn't recall what, but I knew it was bad. I tried to really dwell on it in the hopes that those memories would clear up, too, but before I could, I heard the sound of an automatic door hissing open. A long, slanted rectangular beam of icy artificial light sliced into the blackness, falling uncomfortably across my face. I squeezed my eyes shut, startled and annoyed.

"Well, well. The lost Padawan awakens at last."

The light parted, broken by a silhouette. That chilling male voice sounded familiar, and not in a good way - but I couldn't quite place it. My brain just did not seem to want to work. I tried to crane my neck and see who was standing in what must have been a doorway on the far end of the dark room, but again, something cold and hard that was stretched across my forehead prevented me.

"To be frank, I did not believe the guards when they called me, saying that you were yelling in here." An echoey noise I assumed was boots clicking reached my ears. Whomever was there was leisurely strolling closer. "I expected your sedative to hold out for a while longer."

So that was why my head felt weird and my memory was foggy. Also, this guy was _probably_ not my friend if he had sedated me. Sedation was pretty much the reddest flag you could get. "Where am I?" I demanded. "Who are you?"

The footsteps paused. The silence returned, but only briefly as the man resumed speaking and walking slowly nearer. "I feel _wounded_ that you do not recognize me," he said dryly, his voice echoing loudly even though he spoke quietly. It was obvious to me that he didn't really care - needless to say. "Oh. But then again, you can't see me, can you?"

I scowled. "You just totally danced around both of my questions!"

A gelid chuckle rang through the air. "Ah, _yes._ I can sense your anger and fear. Hold onto them; they are all you have left - and all you will _need."_

"What - what do you-" I stammered, then stared upwards. I gasped, my eyes stretching wide with horror.

The footsteps had again ceased and the unidentified dancer of questions now stood beside me, leering down.

"This... this isn't _possible,"_ I whispered. "You're-you're-"

The nightmare coolly cut me off, sounding almost amused when he spoke again - and yet even colder than before. "Perhaps I shall be able to teach you what your master could not," he mused softly. I could just barely spot him reaching slightly to the left out of the corner of my eye, but I could scarcely process it through my shock and terror. "Lesson one: _nothing_ is impossible."

And with that, I screamed as electricity coursed through my body and everything went white.


	28. Chapter 27

27

 **AFTER THAT** , the crew of the _Ghost_ wasted no time in preventing any more accidental disasters. Once the _Ghost_ left hyperspace, Hera scrambled her ship's signature so no Imperial scans would recognize them, then approached Lothal.

As the rebels had expected, a small planetary blockade consisting of precisely five Star Destroyers was in orbit, but Hera wasn't overly concerned. Getting past a blockade like that would be easy, unless, for some reason, they were ordered to dock with one of the Destroyers and be searched - but Tseebo helpfully confirmed that the probability of that happening was very low.

 _"Vessel, this is Star Destroyer_ Ultimatum _,"_ said a cold, feminine voice over the com, after but a few moments after the _Ghost_ 's appearance. _"State your purpose."_

Hera frowned, experiencing a strange sense of deja vu when she heard that voice and the name of the Star Destroyer. That was _not_ good, and judging by the comically shocked look on her copilot's face, Kanan recognized them, too (unless he was thinking about something completely irrelevant, like the punch line of a joke he'd heard three years before and had only understood today, or maybe he had suddenly realized what an alien had called him once in a foreign language actually _meant)._

Thus, Hera beckoned to Zeb - who was still present in the cockpit - just in case.

Zeb rose and lumbered forward, pressing one claw down on the com button. "Just your average ship coming home after a visit with my mee-maw, Captain. Her cookies were _delicious."_

There was a long silence, as if Zeb's reply had sincerely and completely startled the captain of the Star Destroyer into speechlessness. Zeb was smirking, Hera looked amused, and Kanan's hands were clamped over his face as he struggled not to burst out laughing.

 _"Well, then... uh..."_ The captain cleared her throat. _"Permission to land. Good day."_

Zeb returned to his seat, chuckling, as Kanan finally exploded into laughter, pounding on the dashboard. He continued to do so for several minutes; then he sank back into his chair with a half-giggle, half-sigh, wiping a tear from his beet-red face with one finger.

Hera grinned at Kanan, her heart warmed to see him in a laughing fit. The despairing mood that had fallen over the crew upon Ezra's mysterious disappearance had become even worse when the innocent rebel freighter had been destroyed only about fifteen minutes before. It was indescribably relieving for that mood to be lifted, if even for a little while. She suspected that Zeb had said something so _hilarious_ (it was so far from the truth, and yet he spoke it with such conviction!) quite intentionally, for that very reason.

And, of course, Kanan was adorable.

Aboard the Star Destroyer _Ultimatum,_ Captain Sloane removed her finger from the com button and stared out into space as the Corellian ship soared by.

"Is something the matter, Captain?" queried her young copilot as he walked in.

"No, no," Sloane assured him, but as he plopped back down in his seat, he noticed the troubled expression on her face.

"Are you sure?" he pressed, clearly concerned.

"Well... to be honest, I..." Captain Sloane glanced at him helplessly. "Do you know if the cafeteria is serving cookies today?"


	29. Chapter 28

28

 **SOON AFTERWARDS** , the _Ghost_ smoothly landed with a hiss in the fields of Lothal. In the distance, the brilliant lights of Capitol City bled into the morning gray.

As the entry ramp slid open and he walked out, Kanan Jarrus observed the view. Capitol City had always reminded him a little too much of Coruscant. It also reminded him a little too much of Ezra.

Kanan sat down on the edge of the ramp, pulling his knees up to his chin as he stared straight ahead. The tall, tawny field rippled outwards in a soft breeze, creating the effect of an ocean made of grass.

Kanan turned his gaze slightly upward again to survey the silhouette of Capitol City. If he strained his eyes enough, he could make out the skeleton of the would-be new transmission tower.

 _"Wait. What about you?"_ Kanan could almost hear Ezra's desperate voice as he closed his eyes and remembered that horrible day.

 _"I'll take the next one,"_ the Jedi had promised, looking into his Padawan's wide eyes.

Ezra had stared back at him for a moment, then turned and bolted into the lift.

He had believed Kanan's lie.

It was an awful thing, to make a promise to someone you love while at the same time knowing that you created that promise to be broken.

As soon as Ezra and the others had taken the lift, Kanan destroyed the way up with a stab of his lightsaber, then surrendered himself to the Empire. He'd known it was hopeless. And he had known that Ezra saw it all.

While Kanan had warned Ezra that there would be sacrifice, he could tell that although Ezra had understood, the boy had still wished that there would never be. Kanan got that. No one wished to lose a loved one. But sometimes, there were bigger things than friendship - bigger things that demanded loss. In this case, Kanan's self-sacrifice had saved the rest of his crew and allowed Ezra to broadcast a message with the potential to change the rebellion forever.

Afterwards, Kanan had witnessed the Imperials blow up the old transmission tower in order to stop the broadcast - but they had just barely been too late. Ezra's message had gotten out.

That was a major victory for the rebellion - at least, it may have been. But there was definite loss: the loss of Kanan to the Empire.

To this day, Kanan couldn't bear looking back on the lie he had told Ezra. In fact, he could barely stand thinking of Ezra at all.

Ezra was gone, and it hadn't been the fault a noble sacrifice.

 _If I hadn't made him go on that solo op, he would still be with us today._

Kanan opened his eyes as footsteps met his ears. Boots clanked on the metal entry ramp behind him.

He glanced over at her as she sat down beside him, trying to force a small smile.

Hera didn't smile back. Instead, she gazed into his eyes.

"Kanan," she said softly. "It will be alright."

"You can't say that, Hera," he murmured, drawing his arm across his face. "We might never find him. And it will be all my fault."

 _"Ssh..."_ Hera gently wrapped his arms around him and squeezed. "Do not blame yourself, Kanan. There was no way to predict what was going to happen. Don't you always say that the future is impossible to predict... and always susceptible to change?"

"I don't _always_ say that," he humphed, pulling back and smirking a little.

"There's the Kanan I know." She kissed him on the cheek and left him stunned. "Just don't forget to _have hope."_

Hera rose and walked back into the _Ghost._

Kanan barely noticed. He stared blankly ahead of him, a completely idiotic look on his face.


	30. Chapter 29

29

 **HERA WALKED** back into the _Ghost_ and almost immediately crossed paths with Zeb.

She got the uncanny feeling that he'd been looking for her. Zeb paused and stared down at Hera for a moment, then asked blankly, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, thanks," she answered, well aware of the blush on her face deepening. Hera quickly changed the subject. "Did you need me for something?"

Zeb nodded. He looked troubled, she noticed, and had even before he'd spoken to her. _"Er..._ yeah, actually. I wanted to know... if Tseebo and that Zare kid didn't know where Ezra went off to... then... what now?"

Hera's green _lekku_ twitched. "I've been thinking about that, too," she told him softly. "I'm sure everyone has - and everyone needs to know my answer to that question. Could you call Kanan inside and meet me in the common room, please?"

Zeb frowned. He nodded and headed past her. As he did, Hera saw that he'd removed the bandages from around his ankle. That made her very happy. She knew that Zeb (like Kanan, and everybody else, really) hated being kept out of the action because of an injury. Now he was back in the game.

Hera smiled faintly, but her smile faded instantly as the matter at hand abruptly returned to her mind. She turned around and proceeded to the common room.

Sabine and Tseebo were still there, playing Dejarik together. The instant Hera entered the room, she could tell that Tseebo had won every game. Sabine looked like she was on the verge of throwing a fit.

 _"Best eleven out of fifteen!"_ she blurted, then immediately realized that Hera was there and looked up. Her pretty Mandalorian face had frustration written all over it. "Hera? What is it?" She could tell right away that their captain had something very serious to talk about.

Hera sat down beside Tseebo as the light green Rodian raised one suction cup-tipped finger. "The probability of Sabine Wren winning a game of Dejarik against Tseebo is one out of fifty-three."

Sabine growled. Hera spared Tseebo a funny look; if she hadn't known any better, she might have thought that Tseebo was actually _gloating._

Then Hera fixed her emerald gaze on Sabine and switched off the new game of Dejarik.

"I'm calling an urgent meeting," she said, then stated the obvious. "And it's about Ezra."


	31. Chapter 30

30

 **AFTER THE** rest of the Ghost crew was assembled around the Dejarik table (Zeb had also gone ahead and fetched Chopper), Hera glanced around at the confused faces and promptly put that confusion to rest.

"As far as I know, there is only _one_ person left who can help us find Ezra," she informed them, resting her hands on the black-and-white checkered tabletop. "But he might not, and he's a huge gamble. That being said, we have no other choice. He is our absolute _last_ option."

Kanan groaned a little. "Oh, _no,"_ he sighed, expressing the thoughts that everyone else was clearly thinking (except for Tseebo, who had never met the man in question). _"Please_ tell me you don't mean..."

"Cikatro Vizago," she confirmed, then laced her fingers together, awaiting a wave of general protest.

To her surprise, however, there was no disagreement (aside from some loud buzzes and beeps from Chopper, but he disagreed with pretty much everything anyway).

"You're right," Sabine said, reaching for her helmet, which was in her lap. She slid it on. "But if he _does_ have any information, there's no telling what he'll have us do to get it - _especially_ after... _last time."_

"Last time?" Kanan asked, raising an eyebrow, but he went ignored.

"And in that case, there's no telling if that bag of scum would actually have been _playing_ us the whole time," growled Zeb, leaning against the wall with his muscular arms folded.

 _"WRR,"_ Chopper droned, spinning his dome around.

"All true," Hera said, quietly but firmly. "Knowing the probable consequences - all in favor?"

She barely had to wait a second for the near-unanimous vote.


	32. Chapter 31

31

 **ONLY ONE** member of the crew did not raise their hand to vote on going to do business with Vizago - but that was Tseebo.

"The Imperial database states that Cikatro Vizago is a wanted crime lord," he said doubtfully. "Tseebo is unsure if this is plan is optimal."

 _"Optimal_ would be a stretch," Kanan told him with a small, wry smile, which promptly vanished. "But as Hera said, Vizago is our very last chance of finding Ezra. And we will stop at _nothing_ to do just that."

 _"Wrr..."_ Chopper sounded unsure.

They ignored him.

Tseebo nodded slowly. "Tseebo understands. Tseebo will go with you to see Cikatro Vizago."

Hera grimaced and shook her head, earning a couple surprised looks. "No, Tseebo. I'll need you to look after the _Ghost_ with Chopper."

Chopper turned and rolled out of the common room. He had no quarrel with _that_ plan.

Tseebo didn't look disappointed, but he didn't look pleased, either. "Of course."

Hera knew she had probably let him down, and felt bad about it - but she knew that Vizago would probably recognize Tseebo from old Imperial wanted posters and try to sell him to either the Empire or Jawas, whichever paid the highest. "Meeting adjourned," she announced, then stood up and hurried after Chopper.

Kanan rubbed the back of his head and looked over at Sabine. "This isn't going to end well, is it?"

"Nope," Sabine agreed.

Zeb scoffed, smirking at Kanan. "That's an understatement."


	33. Chapter 32

32

 **MERE MOMENTS** later, Hera was in the cockpit, starting up the _Ghost._

"Setting course for Tarkintown," she reported on the internal com, then glanced over her shoulder at Chopper. "Chopper, I need you to run a diagnostic and make sure the _Ghost_ didn't sustain any major damage during that Star Destroyer attack. If Vizago has information on Ezra, fake or otherwise, there's no telling what we might have to do."

 _"Wrr-wrr."_ Chopper rolled away, hopefully to do just that.

 _If he isn't, I'm going to pull that Astromech's battery,_ Hera thought irritably, then considered something for a moment and turned on the internal com again. "Kanan, did you remove that tracking device before you came in?"

 _"Yes, Hera. Removed it and busted it up, too."_

"Thank you, love." Hera decidedly left the com on in case Chopper had anything to report on the diagnostic once it was done.

Then the _Ghost_ took off, leaving Capitol City far behind.

It wasn't a very long trip. Hera almost wished it was. It had been a while since any of the crewmembers had slept, and they definitely needed rest. But she knew very well and unquestionably that every second had to be devoted to finding Ezra, and she certainly didn't have a negative word to say or think about that.

The Ghost landed gently on a grassy hill overlooking Tarkintown. It was still mostly soot and charred remains of people's homes down below, but it was beginning to be slowly rebuilt by new individuals who had lost their farms to the Empire.

The entry ramp hissed open, and out walked four of the rebels who often visited the area: Kanan, Hera, Zeb, and Sabine. As they stepped off into the cool field, they all felt very strange. There was something missing, something that belonged there with them on ops like this. Each one of them knew exactly what was wrong. Ezra's disappearance had left many vacant holes that couldn't be filled.

No one exactly led the way. The tiny band simply walked together in silence, but its members shared a similar thought.

 _If everything goes right, Ezra will rejoin us soon._

 _But_ nothing _has gone right so far._


	34. Chapter 33

33

 **CIKATRO VIZAGO'S** black market camp was set up exactly where it typically was. The grass was cleared from the ground. Vehicles large and small were parked here and there, each guarded by one or more towering droids. More of these droids milled around, unloading one of the bigger vehicles. It was filled with crates, which were undoubtedly filled with goods deemed illegal by the Empire, or at least goods which the Empire would not approve of being traded to certain individuals.

Vizago himself assisted the intimidating droids in unpacking the transportation hovercraft. He looked up as four familiar clients approached - and more or less precisely when he had _expected_ them to.

He straightened and strolled over to meet them. "Ah, my friends!" he greeted, a wide, pointy-toothed smile plastered across his tan face. "What brings you to do business with me today?" He paused as the rebels stopped before him, the three who were not wearing helmets looking generally unfriendly as usual. _"Hmm."_ He fingered his chin, regarding them with a sly gaze. "It appears that you are one rebel _short,_ no?"

Kanan narrowed his cyan eyes at the Devaronian. It was pretty clear that Vizago was trouble, even if you didn't know who he was. The man was muscular and nicked all over with battle scars, most noticeably the long one that sliced down over his hairless right brow and diagonally across his face. His elongated, pointed ears were studded with gold rings. His hooked, lumpy nose also sported one, and there were so many on his fingers that getting punched by him would probably feel like he was wearing brass knuckles (those last rings, Kanan noted, must have been new). To complete the look, one of his tall, dark horns had been broken off, leaving a jagged stub that was only a couple inches tall. "What do you know, Vizago?"

Vizago looked surprised. It was difficult to tell whether or not the expression was feigned. _"Know?_ What are you talking about, Kanan? That is to say, I do know a _lot_ of things - but you must be referring to the absence of the short, scruffy one." He raised his scarred brow, his maroon eyes sparkling in a way that made Kanan even _more_ suspicious. In fact, Kanan's mind began to spin with paranoia. What if the man standing before him was Ezra's _kidnapper?_ "I assumed he decided to stay behind in that _beautiful_ ship of yours."

Hera folded her arms. "Actually, it's not his ship - it's _mine."_

Vizago's eyes widened in a display of mock horror. "Do forgive me, Hera. I did not mean to offend you."

Hera lifted an eyebrow. "You _didn't._ I'm just trying to communicate across that the _Ghost_ is not _Kanan's_ to _sell."_ She shot Kanan a look.

Kanan stared at her, like, _Why can't you stop bringing that up?!_

Vizago smirked. "Ah, I do business every now and then with Mr. Lando Calrissian. He has regaled me with that tale once or twice. Quite entertaining. In fact, it is one of my favorite Calrissian stories!"

"Cut the chatter, Vizago," Kanan snapped, scowling. "You know that we're here for a reason, and it's _not_ to make chitchat."

"But of _course,_ Kanan," Vizago drawled. "Why didn't you just say so?"

Kanan growled.

Zeb grabbed Kanan's good shoulder. He probably wouldn't - but you couldn't be too careful. "We've _lost_ something of ours," he told the Devaronian warily.

"Yeah," Sabine said. "The small, scruffy one."

Vizago chuckled. Kanan was analyzing the crime boss' every expression, and the complete lack of surprise Vizago displayed was not at all to Kanan's satisfaction. "I see, I see. Care to elaborate?"

"His name is Ezra Bridger, as you _might_ recall," Hera said, narrowing her green eyes. "Last night, he headed to the Imperial docking bay in Capitol City and never came back. Increased Imperial activity and common sense suggest that the Empire had something to do with his disappearance, but our sources mostly denied that probability. However, one of them _did_ turn up something that did resemble a prisoner file - but it was encrypted."

Vizago stroked his chin, brooding over this. "Hmmm. _Yes..._ your dilemma _does_ seem rather familiar." He eyed the four rebels as they appeared to perk up hopefully. He surmised that they would go to infinite lengths to find Ezra, especially after that whole escapade with Kanan and the Empire. That desperation would _certainly_ pay off handsomely for Vizago. "I may indeed have the information that you are searching for."

The rebels' eyes widened.

"How much do you want for it, Vizago?" Kanan demanded urgently.

"We have the credits," Hera jumped in, her voice increasing a few octaves. "We can pay."

A slow smile spread over Vizago's lips as he drummed his fingers together. The golden rings glinted in the sunshine.

"Oh, I have _plenty_ of credits," he mused. "But there is no such thing as too many, am I right?" He laughed, but no one laughed with him, so he silenced himself with an irritated frown. "Still, it is not _credits_ that I am looking for on this beautifully fortunate and profitable day."

All four of the rebels groaned internally. They'd been afraid of this, and they were more still afraid of what was coming. Just _how_ terrible would the op Vizago was surely about to send them on be?

Vizago's glimmering violet eyes settled on Kanan Jarrus.

"I believe I am owed a favor," he smirked. "From a _Jedi."_


	35. Chapter 34

34

 **KANAN EXPLODED.**

"W-What - he _KNOWS_ I'm a -" he sputtered, his face beginning to turn bright red. He whirled around to face the others, particularly Sabine and Zeb. _"HOW_ does he know I'm a _JEDI?!"_

Sabine flinched, startled. Zeb blanched and began to rub the back of his head. "Ah..."

"In order to get information on where the Empire was keeping you, Kanan, Ezra worked together with Chopper, Zeb, and Sabine to _steal_ the _Phantom,_ fly here, and deal with Vizago, _against my direct orders,"_ Hera informed Kanan stiffly. Apparently, she was still a little sore about that. "As a result, one or both of our Jedi now owe him a favor, as he said - and since Ezra is missing, that means _you."_

Kanan's eye twitched. His face had gone from red to a rather unflattering shade of maroon.

 _"IF THAT LITTLE LOTHRAT WAS HERE, I'D-"_ he shouted, but Sabine interrupted him by gently tugging him aside.

"Calm down, Kanan," she tried to soothe him. "You can whale on Ezra as hard as you like once we find him."

 _"CALM DOWN?!_ DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT VIZAGO MIGHT HAVE _DONE_ WITH THAT INFORMATION?! AND DON'T YOU PLAY THE INNOCENT WITH ME, YOU _HELPED_ HIM TO-"

Hera tuned him out. "I'm sorry about that, Vizago."

Vizago watched Kanan continue throwing a fit with amusement. "Don't you fret, my dear Twi'lek. This is the most hilarious thing I have seen in a week, since Azmorigan's pants fell down."

Hera grimaced. As she'd had her own personal encounter with Azmorigan, that was not a very hilarious mental image to her at all. "I think we should arrange this little... _favor_ where we can hear ourselves over Kanan." Indeed, they both had to raise their voices to be hear each other clearly.

"AND _YOU,_ ZEB - I EXPECT _BETTER_ FROM _YOU!_ I MEAN, FROM THE _TEENAGERS,_ SURE, BUT _YOU-"_

 _"Hey!"_

Hera rolled her eyes.

Vizago chuckled. "Of course. Come with me." He beckoned to her with one clawed finger, then turned and sauntered off towards his tent.

Hera sighed and followed him. She should have known that going to make a deal with Vizago would give her a headache.


	36. Chapter 35

35

 **HERA PUSHED** aside the tent flaps and stepped in, taking a quick look around.

It was an enormous tent, lacking in any extras, which shocked Hera. She'd expected it to be a lavish display of Vizago's wealth. Instead, there was simply a rectangular metal table surrounded by matching chairs and a plain cooler for refreshments. The tent fabric itself looked to be fashioned from some sort of hide, but not whatsoever an expensive one. It wasn't even dyed.

"I can see the look of surprise on your face," Vizago mused, strolling over to the table and pulling out a chair. "Perhaps you are wondering why I have placed nothing here to impress my clientele. Here, sit, and I will give you a brief explanation."

Hera nodded numbly. "Thank you." She sat down in the chair he had offered her. Just because Vizago was a crook who was probably about to scam her didn't mean she couldn't be polite - and perhaps _reduce_ her chances of being scammed.

Vizago, too, pulled up a chair, one that allowed him to face her from across the table. Resting his elbows on the tabletop, he began. "I used to have a headquarters that was much less temporary than this one, as I am sure you recall. But now that the Empire is closing its iron fist on Lothal, I need to be able to pack up quickly and efficiently at a moment's notice. I had the old headquarters removed and replaced it with something that would allow me to do that." Vizago smirked and gestured vaguely at the area around them. "She isn't pretty, but she serves the purpose I intended for her."

"I see," Hera replied thoughtfully. "That was very.. tactical of you."

Vizago grinned. "You mean it was _unlike_ me." He chuckled, then chuckled louder still at the instant look of alarm on Hera's face. "Do not be concerned; I take no offense. But you do not know me on the inside as well as the outside. Perhaps I am not the greatest man on Lothal, but I am no idiot. One cannot be an idiot in my line of work, or _yours."_

Hera gave a serious nod. "True."

Vizago folded his arms on the table and leaned forward, giving her an odd look and smiling crookedly. "Your crew... you are certainly my most _interesting_ clients. You provide me with profitable business, and yet make my business harder to run."

Hera felt really uncomfortable as he casually went on.

"Each day, I expect to never see any of you again. The rebellion is everywhere, and you can find it, if you look hard enough and know the right people - and are the right kind of person _yourself._ But there are no rebels who would stick their necks out as far as you do. You are almost begging for them to be chopped off."

Hera closed her eyes briefly, then uttered a quiet laugh. Ezra had said something very, very similar to her once, on the day they first met one another. "Maybe so, but I have to disagree with you on one thing. There _are_ other people out there who risk as much as we do. There aren't a lot of them, but they are out there."

 _"Interesting,"_ Vizago said, drumming his clawed fingers on the tabletop. "I would ask you more, but I doubt you would entrust me with such information, and besides - we have a deal to make."

"That we do," Hera answered cautiously. She had been on guard from the moment she set foot on Vizago's self-claimed land, but now she had to be more careful than ever. "I believe you said you know where Ezra is."

"I did say something rather like that, didn't I?" Vizago smirked a little and straightened in his chair.

Hera's eyebrows met. "Do you or don't you, Vizago? Don't mess around with me today." She allowed a smidge of hostility to creep into her tone.

Vizago's own brows shot up. He burst out laughing. "You are hilarious, little Twi'lek, much more so than I initially thought!" He calmed down after a moment, sighing through his grin. "While you couldn't leave a _bruise_ on me if you-"

Hera lunged her arm forward and socked him in the face.

Vizago's chair fell over backwards, taking the Devaronian crime boss right along with it. He tumbled to the uncovered dirt floor.

Hera settled in her chair again and blinked at Vizago innocently as he staggered to his feet. He stared at her, violet eyes wide with shock, as he clutched at his nose.

It was bleeding.

For a moment, there was only silence in the tent.

Then Vizago righted his chair and sat down, still staring at her.

"F-fair point," he chuckled at last, sounding a bit dazed. "I will cut down to business, nothing else. But I warn you, do not punch me again. I will have to apprehend you. And if I miss, you might rip out the nose ring that time, and that will _not_ be very amusing." Vizago shook his head, looking a little squeamish at the thought.

"We have a deal," Hera told him, smirking slightly. "Now please, continue. What's your proposal?"

"In exchange for the information, I will call in my favor," Vizago informed her, now with all due seriousness - except for a certain glint in his gaze that Hera did not particularly like. "There will be a fleet of Imperial Star Destroyers escorting a crate tomorrow morning. I need this crate. It is the only cargo, and the only way for you to _find_ it will be with your Jedi friend. I've heard his sort have a certain affinity for the _contents_ of this crate."

Hera's eyes widened. "An entire _fleet_ of-you're sending us on a _suicide op!"_

Vizago's eyes narrowed. "You wish to get the scruffy one back, do you not? There is no counteroffer, Syndulla. This, or you will _never_ see the boy again."

Hera rubbed her temples. "I know," she said quietly. "And I accept your terms."

Vizago smacked his hands together. "Excellent!" He rose and bowed to her.

Hera did the same, then briskly left the tent without another word.

"It has been a pleasure doing business with you!" Vizago called after her, then sat down again, smirking as he considered what he had just done.

 _And_ what _a pleasure, indeed._


	37. Chapter 36

36

 **KANAN LOOKED** up as Hera returned. Immediately, he grimaced. He could tell very well that she was extremely angry. Her tight, baleful expression had been directed at him countless times. Also, her _lekku_ were twitching furiously. Kanan knew that Twi'leks could communicate with their head-tails, so he inferred that she must have been saying some pretty unflattering things about Vizago.

 _"So,"_ he said nervously. "How'd it go?"

At least he wasn't yelling at Sabine and Zeb anymore - but Hera was a little too irritated to focus on the situation's silver linings. She grabbed Kanan's uninjured arm and briskly continued onwards. Kanan whirled around as quickly as possible, yelping as he stumbled to catch up with her.

Zeb and Sabine exchanged worried glances, then bolted after them.

Once they returned to the _Ghost,_ Hera had everyone sit around the Dejarik table while she filled them in on their newest and most vital mission yet.

Kanan pressed his fingers to his temples. "Oh, _wonderful,"_ he muttered.

"This is going to be fun," Sabine agreed sarcastically.

Zeb's ears were flattened. "We can't do this!" he blurted out. "What good will it do Ezra if we all get _dead?!"_

Tseebo stared at Hera anxiously. "Tseebo must share his concerns that the probability of our own success is low and the probability that Cikatro Vizago is being untruthful is _very_ high."

 _"WRR,"_ Chopper protested. _"WRR, WRR, WRR. WRR!"_

Hera sighed and leaned against the wall. "I know, I know." She lifted her head to gaze back at them all, and she could tell, just by looking at them, that they would give this mission their all, despite their doubts. A ghost of a smile crept onto her lips. "But it will make this op all the more interesting."

Kanan offered her a cheeky two-fingered salute that she suspected he'd gotten from Ezra. Sabine and Zeb both smirked. Tseebo still looked like he was going to have a panic attack, but he was nodding rapidly.

Chopper beeped and slowly rotated his battered orange dome back and forth, but Hera knew that he was on board, too. He was just the most cynical Astromech in the galaxy.

"Alright," Hera said, dipping her head. "I'll radio Vizago for the coordinates - and then we'll be on our way. Remember, everyone - even though the likelihood is small, we might be on the path to finding Ezra if we steal that crate. I have my own anxieties about this mission - but this is something we can't pass up, whether it's a total sham or not. We'll stand together and fight our way through it, no matter _how_ many Star Destroyers they throw at us."

As she spoke, however, she recalled how the Vidian had utterly devastated the Battle Star and shuddered. And she could see that the same moment was being recalled by every other member of the crew as well.

But they stared back at Hera with solemnity.

"Bring it on," Kanan challenged, standing up. "We're ready for anything."


	38. Chapter 37

37

 **A FEW** minutes later, Kanan Jarrus was sitting up in the turret, staring up at the blue sky above through the viewing windows. From what he could tell, a storm seemed to be brewing off to the north.

 _There certainly_ is _a storm brewing,_ Kanan thought warily. _It's been building for some time now, and now all heck is about to break loose. I can feel it in the Force. Either we're all going down, or the clouds will clear away._

Kanan felt tempted to leave the turret and ask Tseebo for the odds of that, but he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

 _"Alright, everyone, I have the coordinates,"_ Hera reported over the internal com. Kanan lifted his head, snapping out of his dark, highly Jedi-ish thoughts. _"I'm taking off now, and once we leave the atmosphere, we'll enter hyperspace."_

Kanan looked up, watching how the sky seemed to move as the _Ghost_ rose into the air. "Got it, Hera. Let me know when I'm needed in the cockpit."

 _"Will do."_

Kanan only had to wait for approximately seven more minutes before he saw the blue sky and clouds dissolve into star-riddled darkness.

 _"Setting course for the Imperial fleet,"_ updated Hera. _"Hold on!"_

Kanan gripped onto the arms of his seat as the scene outside the turret completely morphed again, this time into streaks of bright blue and white. Being a rebel sure was colorful _(especially_ if you lived with Sabine). Sometimes, that felt like the only upside, and it wasn't always easy to pay attention to those silver linings. But Kanan wouldn't trade his line of work for anything else. Before joining the rebellion, Kanan had been a planethopper, switching from system to system and picking up every random job he could find as he tried to keep his true identity hidden from the Empire. Bartender. Miner. Hoverbus driver. Smart-talking and extremely charming freighter pilot. If you could name it, Kanan had been it.

At the time, he had never even _thought_ about the existence of a rebellion. In fact, such a concept seemed like suicide to him - probably because, in a nutshell, it pretty much was. _Seriously,_ a ragtag band of six fighting against an absolutely enormous empire? It was pretty far-fetched. At least they could call for backup from a much larger rebel fleet if they were really in a jam - but still. _Really?_ It was like they were _asking_ to be blown to bits.

But suddenly, that backsassing freighter pilot was sucked into something much crazier than ever before. His identity as a Jedi was in imminent danger of being revealed and nearly had been a few times. Things got _insane._ He had to work with a nutty conspiracy theorist who nearly blew everyone up several times over. He almost came away riddled with blaster fire holes, smushed, beaten up, tortured, and fried. He made friends for once. He lost them. He fought Imperials while simultaneously flirting with them. Several times throughout the entire extremely perilous misadventure, Kanan had nearly walked away from the craziness, afraid for his own life, afraid that the Empire would find out who he _really_ was.

But he never did, and he was glad of that. If he had, he would never be on this rebel crew - and, most likely, the crew would not exist. Ezra Bridger would still be a street rat, or worse - dead or recruited by the Empire. Maybe everyone on the crew today would have been killed or imprisoned if not for choices Kanan had made in the past.

Maybe if he hadn't made those choices, Ezra wouldn't be who-knew-where right now. The _Battle Star_ wouldn't have been destroyed, its crew of hundreds captured or killed. Kanan's friends would not be on an unclear and almost definitely suicidal mission to get Ezra back - or _not_ get him back.

But Kanan knew that if he had to, he would go back and do _everything_ over again, because things would be much, _much_ worse for _every_ member of the crew than they were now if he hadn't done all of that. He regretted ever sending Ezra on that op, but nothing else. Kanan had learned something very important when he joined the rebellion - if all you did was fight for your _own_ life, than your life was worth _nothing._

Hera had taught him that. And to think it had been Hera who had caused him to do all of those things.

It didn't surprise him in the least. Hera was the most incredible woman he had ever met. _Everyone_ he had met within the rebellion was incredible. And they were all utterly irreplaceable. His life would never be the same if a single one of them disappeared and never returned.

Kanan couldn't let that happen to his Padawan. He doubted he could be the same person knowing that it would be his fault. And he was terrified for Ezra. In Kanan's mind, there was still a chance that Ezra was being held prisoner by the Empire. That had happened to Kanan once, and it had been the worst nightmare possibly imaginable.

Kanan couldn't bear the thought that that terrible experience could be happening to Ezra, because of him or otherwise.

 _If this is a scam or not... wherever you are... I will_ never _give up. Ezra, here I come._


	39. Chapter 38

38

 **THE GHOST** left hyperspace.

Sure enough, there was the Imperial fleet. There was certainly no missing a group of giant, terrifying warships. Hera counted five total, drifting slowly through space far below her ship.

"Kanan, I need you in the cockpit - _now,"_ she called urgently over the internal com. "It's time."

 _"Coming, Hera!"_

Hera breathed out heavily and stared down at the Star Destroyers, trying to squash her fear. She couldn't do it. There was so much at stake here, and she couldn't get it out of her head, not even for a second.

Despite everything she had told the crew in an effort to give them some amount of hope for success, she had very little hope herself.

It was all she could do to cling to it.

Kanan came pounding up the ladder, cutting short Hera's terrified thoughts. "I'm here!" He scrambled over and plopped down in his chair, then gazed out at the challenge that sat before them. It was a larger one than ever before. Kanan whistled.

"Can you sense which ship the cargo is in?" Hera asked him, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

Kanan, in turn, tried to mask his own anxiety. "I've done this before, so... I don't see why not." He slowly closed his eyes, eyebrows meeting as he concentrated.

Hera watched him tensely with bated breath.

Then, almost immediately, Kanan opened his eyes again. He looked so oddly troubled that a bolt of extra fear ran through Hera.

 _"What?_ What's the matter?!"

"The cargo," he muttered, frowning. "It radiates so strongly with the Force... there's no way it _isn't_ a kyber crystal."

Hera bit her lip, watching the same thought process going on in her head flicker through his worried gaze.

"The Empire would do horrible things with it," he said slowly, glancing at Hera. "But there's no telling _who_ Vizago might sell it to."

"That doesn't matter," she said, quietly but firmly. She turned back to the window. "Which ship?"

"The one in the back of the fleet. The ships are arranged so that it seems like four of them are protecting the one in the middle, but it seems like the Empire outthought themselves and put the cargo in the ship they thought we'd think would be the least likely for the shipment to be inside."

"Don't give me a headache right now, Kanan."

Kanan looked alarmed. "Sorry." He rubbed the back of his head.

Hera switched on the internal com. "Ready, everyone?"

Every member of the crew responded. They were as ready as they'd ever be.

Hera activated the shields and took another steeling deep breath.

"Then here we go."


	40. Chapter 39

**I can't thank you guys enough for all of your support! You are awesome! It really means more than you might thing, and I'm sorry I haven't been posting that much recently- so here is a chapter of the longish sort. I hope you enjoy! - Arty (P.S.: I've already got this whole story pretty much planned out, and I've been trying to come up with sequel ideas. I think I have one, but I'm not entirely certain it's good enough. Any ideas?)**

39

 **AFTER BRIEFLY** formulating a plan of attack with Kanan and (over the internal com) the rest of her crew, Hera launched everything into action.

"I hope this works," she muttered softly, striking buttons in order to detach the _Phantom._

"If not, Kanan is going to be blown to smithereens," Zeb remarked. (It was extremely uncalled for, but there was a lot of badly suppressed anxiety in his voice.)

That obvious and highly likely outcome really did not help Hera's nerves.

The _Phantom_ detached just as Kanan sat down in front of the controls. Immediately, he began to work them as fast as he could, which was a little tough when one of your arms hurt to move.

Hera had instantly and strongly brought that up when he was planning with her. In fact, she had actually yelled at him at the top of her lungs. (Which was alarmingly loud, actually.)

"ARE YOU _KIDDING_ ME, KANAN?! THIS IS NO TIME FOR _JOKES!_ YOU'RE _INJURED!_ HOW CAN YOU FLY THE _PHANTOM_ PROPERLY WITH JUST _ONE HAND?!_ AND GOING _BY YOURSELF?!_ THAT'S _SUICIDE,_ KANAN, SUICIDE! I _CAN'T_ LET YOU GO!" To his astonishment, Hera had begun to cry. "Not _now..._ not after losing Ezra - not _ever!"_

But (though he comforted her, of course), Kanan was extremely stubborn. The short argument had ended with Kanan hurrying to the _Phantom_ \- but not before he saw Hera vehemently twitch her head-tails at him.

He could only imagine what she had called him, but whatever it was, he almost definitely deserved it (and had almost definitely been called that before).

Kanan steered the _Phantom_ towards the huge fleet of _really_ huge Imperial Star Destroyers. (Seriously, they were so very enormous that they made the Phantom look like a tiny piece of space dust.)

Sooner rather than later, one of the battleships contacted him.

 _"Puny vessel, state your business."_

Kanan raised his eyebrows. _Puny? Gee, you'd think I'd know my own puniness flying up to a bunch of Star Destryoyers._

"My business is my _own_ business, _sucka,"_ Kanan taunted into the com. "Eat it!"

There was a long silence. Kanan could imagine the dumbstruck look on the straightlaced Imperial captain's face. What sort of complete _idiot_ would speak to him that way?

The answer was undoubtedly (and perpetually) Kanan.

"Hey, I heard your mother kissed a rebel in Imperial _dumdum_ school," Kanan went on, unable to keep himself from smirking. "Is that true?"

Just as Kanan had insanely hoped, the Star Destroyer at the head of the fleet began to turn off course, towards his vessel.

Kanan sat tight, watching with an amused grin on his face.

 _If you can't take rebels' insults, don't fly a ship with invaluable cargo inside, pal._


	41. Chapter 40

40

 **IT WAS** pretty hard (okay, nearly _impossible)_ to simply sit there and watch a gobstoppingly massive battleship capable of devastating mass blow-stuff-upping drift towards your ship (which is, for comparison, a mere _squashed bug_ on said battleship's windshield), especially if you'd just recently witnessed one of them _do_ some of that devastating mass blow-stuff-upping (on a large freighter full of hundreds of good people).

But that was the plan. _Kanan's_ plan, specifically.

Kanan sighed, resting his chin on his good arm as he placed it on the dashboard. (Typically he would have used both of them, but, as you already know, it was very painful to move one of them).

 _My plans suck,_ he thought despondently. _Like... every single one of them. Really bad._

Star Destroyers were kind of slow, so he decided to pass the time counting each of his numerous disastrous plans.

1) Ever going to "rescue" those Wookies and nearly falling into a trap. (Thankfully, Ezra had warned them in time - only to be captured. The rebels got him back and he shared the real location of the Wookies, allowing a real rescue to be carried out, though.)

2) Ever going to "rescue" Jedi Master Luminara Unduli at the ominous prison known as the Spire. It turned out to be a trap (AGAIN - Kanan could definitely see some sort of recurring ironic theme going on there). _Also,_ they barely escaped with their lives, thanks to a new villain they met in the Spire who actually organized the trap - the Inquisitor. The Inquisitor was a creepy-looking Pau'an, apprentice of the Dark Side, and probable avid collector of Force-sensitive rebel heads.

3) Sending Ezra to join the Imperial Academy on Lothal in order to steal information for a vital op. Sure, Ezra had _(eventually_ \- the delay had given Kanan a heart attack) succeeded in getting the intel, thus allowing Kanan and Hera to destroy an Imperial shipment of a large kyber crystal (gee, THAT sure was resurfacing in Kanan's mind right now), but Ezra had decided to _STAY BEHIND_ at the Academy to nobly rescue an Imperial cadet. (Cue another heart attack, and also #LifeWithEzraBridger.)

4) The decision to let Zeb and Chopper throw milk cartons at Ezra for lightsaber training - _ON TOP OF THE GHOST, HUNDREDS OF FEET ABOVE THE GROUND._ Kanan had VERY nearly saved Ezra from the disaster you can surely picture in your head.

5) Luring the Inquisitor to the dilapidated Fort Anaxes with Ezra. Poor Kanan still felt shaken over that incident. (WORST. FIELD TRIP. _EVER._ 'Nuff said.)

6) Using Zeb's bed as a place to hide (more specifically, underneath it, and from Ezra; Zeb himself; Sabine, and Chopper - long story short, they had decided that the day had come to torment Kanan in an attempt to make him undo his ponytail). It had NOT been the most pleasant experience. (The smell was like a tiny Sarlacc slowly digesting your nose).

7) Deciding to hijack an Imperial transmission tower in order to broadcast a rallying message to the people and uplift the crew's spirits. (It didn't. _At all.)_

8) Sending Ezra out alone. That was utterly the worst of _all_ Kanan's ideas, even worse than

9) _this,_ right now.

And that was just _nine._

Suddenly, another message crackled through the internal com, startling Kanan out of his depressing thoughts (rather rudely, too). _"Vessel, you will dock with us or be completely destroyed."_

 _Could you possibly be_ half _-destroyed?_ Kanan promptly wondered. "Okay," he responded simply. The Star Destroyer was almost directly above the Phantom now, so he didn't really have much of a choice anyway (if he hadn't insanely wanted this to happen). If he did try to fly away now for whatever reason, then he would either be A) blown to smithereens, or B) given a slightly nastier cell after being caught in their tractor beam and, ultimately, being dragged away.

Scarcely before he could start prepping to dock as impolitely ordered, Kanan quickly realized that probability B was actually unavoidable. (In fact, Kanan had almost definitely never had a choice to prepare for the docking. The captain's command must have been a mere test to see whether Kanan would give him an excuse to blow up the _Phantom.)_ His ship gave a fierce jerk as the Star Destroyer's tractor beam activated and p-u-u-ulled it up into the docking bay.

Kanan was having some serious second thoughts, and no, he was not _just_ starting to have them.

He took a deep breath.

 _Hera was right. Hera is_ ALWAYS _right. I'm absolutely insane. I have no idea how this is going to work, how it's working at_ all _so far, or how the heck a one-armed Jedi is gonna fight his way through an army, unfamiliar surroundings, and who knows what else, get the kyber crystal, and get out._

 _This is goodbye... for_ real _this time._


	42. Chapter 41

**Hey guys! :) You may have noticed that I've changed the story cover. Let me know if you liked the first one better, and I'll change it back ;)**

41

 **HERA'S HORROR** as she witnessed Kanan's exceedingly awful plan unfold was indescribable. There was no way he was going to survive. That was obvious. Once it was time for her to fill out her half of the op, there would be no Kanan to save.

Why was he even _doing_ this? As Zeb had once put it (more or less) - it wouldn't be beneficial to Ezra if they all got killed in the process of searching for him.

Hera kept struggling to calm her nerves. All she could do was wait for Kanan's call... and pray.

And while she, too, would do the extreme for Ezra - they _all_ would, and for _any_ member of the crew - she desperately hoped that Kanan would complete the mission without giving his life.

Kanan hoped so too, actually. But it was a risk he was well prepared to make (and had made before).

After the tractor beam had dragged the Phantom into the docking bay and set it down (none too gently; the whole shuttle gave another shudder and Kanan's forehead got whammed against the dashboard), he was pretty much _certifiably_ doomed. That is to say, there was no turning back now.

Kanan sat up, groaning. He didn't need to touch his throbbing, stinging forehead to see if it was bleeding; he could tell simply by the smear of blood on the dashboard.

The Jedi stood up, and even though he felt a little dazed from hitting his head, he still managed to retain his tactical sense (well, _somewhat,_ anyway).

He unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and shoved it down the back of his boot. It was NOT very comfortable, as you can imagine. And if you can't, _don't_ recreate it, _especially_ if you're a wanted Jedi walking into an Imperial Star Destroyer (that, by the way, _would kill everyone in the vicinity_ if it was blown up, due to the kyber crystal on board).

 _Do_ NOT _try this at home, kids,_ Kanan thought wryly, then realized something. _Hey, I_ AM _a wanted Jedi. I'm gonna need a disguise._

Unfortunately, there _were_ no disguises aboard the _Phantom_ (duh). Kanan really should have thought about that (and many, _MANY_ other things in the past) beforehand. He facepalmed - then abruptly had a lightbulb moment.

Okay, so it was more of a _flickering_ (or exploding) lightbulb moment - but that was kinda per the norm for our favorite cheesy idea guy, Kanan Jarrus.


	43. Chapter 42

42

 **A FEW** mere minutes after the _Phantom_ was roughly set down in the docking bay, Kanan heard a loud rap on the shuttle's closed entry ramp.

 _"Open up!"_ someone shouted from outside.

 _Just in time,_ Kanan thought. His pathetic disguise was complete, and not a moment too soon.

Kanan had remembered that Sabine had once left a small paint kit by the seats in the back. So he had taken that and hurriedly applied the paints to his face like makeup, relying on his reflection in the windshield to do it a little less sloppily than he could have. And while Kanan felt completely mortified about painting his face so it resembled a Lothcat's, at least he wouldn't be immediately pegged as a match to the image in his prisoner file.

(And hopefully Sabine wouldn't mind his taking her paints without asking - but Kanan was less worried about _that_ and more worried that they were explosive.)

Kanan opened the entry ramp with the pressing of a button, then quickly walked out to meet his probable doom.

At the entry ramp's foot stood the captain of the ship, flanked on either side by an armed stormtrooper. (Stormtroopers. You just couldn't leave home without 'em.)

As Kanan appeared, the Imperial Star Destroyer captain stared at him with the most ridiculous _what the space waffle_ expression you will ever see.

To the captain's credit, however, he didn't otherwise break protocol. "E-er - come with me, pilot. You are under arrest."

 _"What?_ Why for?" Kanan demanded innocently.

"For illegally interfering with the deliverance of highly perilous cargo," the captain sneered. They were always so snobbish, Imperial captains. "Stormtroopers, take him away."

The troopers stepped forward, approaching Kanan with their blasters cocked.

"Mmmm..." Kanan studied them briefly. "I'd rather _not_ be taken away, thanks." He kicked their blasters away with one sudden sweep of his boot, the smashed the pair together with the Force. The stormtroopers both slumped to the floor, unconscious.

The bewildered and horrified captain rapidly backed away, lifting his comlink to his mouth, but Kanan sent him flying into the _Phantom_ with a loud clang before he could say a word.

The unfortunate captain slid off the _Phantom_ 's roof to land on top of the even more unfortunate stormtroopers.

Kanan smiled triumphantly and turned away. _That was surprisingly easy._ They'd never stood a chance.

The cocky smirk abruptly faded from his face.

Neither had he.

The entire docking bay was bristling with TIEs - and there was a stormtrooper waiting inside every single one, aiming the guns at Kanan.


	44. Chapter 43

43

 **THE TIE** Fighters opened fire on Kanan.

In the same instant, Kanan shielded himself with the Force as he seized his lightsaber from his boot. Kanan couldn't keep the shield up for very long distracted and under a barrage of plasma bolts, but that didn't matter. All he needed was the five seconds the shield bought him. By the time it shattered, the azure blade of Kanan's lightsaber had ignited.

Kanan sprinted forward, weaving his way through the rapid onslaught of fire at a speed regular men could never achieve. The shots he couldn't dodge, he deflected. One ricocheted off his lightsaber and blew up one of the TIEs. The docking bay filled with smoke and burning shrapnel.

The shrapnel Kanan had to avoid. He couldn't deflect it like a plasma bolt; his lightsaber would slice through it instead, leaving the pieces even hotter than before. They would also fall to the floor, becoming an instant obstacle for Kanan to jump over. But the smoke - even though it stung his eyes, nose, and throat and made him cough - was a benefit for him overall. The TIE pilots couldn't hit what they couldn't see, and Kanan could sense the bolts coming no matter what.

Under the cover of the smoke, the Jedi Knight slipped out of the docking bay, singed but unharmed. He leaned against the wall for a moment, gasping for breath.

 _"Freeze!"_

Kanan flinched and looked up in alarm to find himself staring into the muzzle of a stormtrooper's blaster.

 _"Um..."_ Kanan was acutely aware of the unsheathed lightsaber he was still holding - as well as the fact that he obviously did _not_ look like he belonged here. "Hello."

The stormtrooper fired into Kanan's face, but he deflected it in the nick of time and cleaved the man's blaster in two, grinning.

The stormtrooper was already having a really bad day. He should have seen this coming.

Kanan switched off his lightsaber and rammed the hilt into the stormtrooper's head. The stormtrooper collapsed, unconscious and groaning.

Kanan smiled. He was already sick of fighting Imperials while looking like he had stopped at a child's facepainting stand.

It was time for a better disguise.

A stormtrooper walked through a corridor, blaster in hand. He paused, pulling aside another stormtrooper who was heading past him.

 _"Psst,"_ the first stormtrooper whispered. "I'm supposed to be guarding the cargo, but this ship is so kriffing big I have no idea where to go. Do you know where it is?"

"Sure," said the other. "Once you reach the other end of this hall, take a left, then ride the lift all the way down. You'll be at the right place."

"Thanks, man."

"Always happy to help."

The second stormtrooper continued on his way, cheerfully smiling underneath his helmet. It must have been that other guy's first time on a Star Destroyer. There were a lot of those confused blokes around nowadays, and it felt really good to help them out.

And Kanan walked on, too, hardly containing an incredibly grateful laugh.


	45. Chapter 44

44

 **KANAN WASN'T** going to lie. He _loved_ pretending to be a stormtrooper. Now that quite a few of the _real_ ones on board (not to mention the captain) knew that a Jedi was on the ship, well - blending in with the vast crowd of Imperials who looked exactly the same was _definitely_ the best (and most fun) way to blend in.

He followed the directions helpfully provided to him earlier to the lift and stepped inside. It was crammed full of other stormtroopers. Kanan felt more than a little claustrophobic.

"I'm going down," he told them.

"We're going up," one of them informed him. "Sorry, pal."

"Well, I'm going down so I can follow _orders -_ to guard the _extremely dangerous cargo,"_ Kanan huffed.

The real stormtrooper fell silent for a moment, glancing back at his companions.

They sighed in unison.

"This _always_ happens," one of them muttered.

Kanan smiled gleefully underneath his helmet and pressed the button that would take the lift all the way down.

Kanan stepped out of the lift, which promptly closed behind him, and took a look around. He was standing in a rather narrow hall. There was a door directly in front of him that was being guarded by a trio of armed stormtroopers. _Yikes._ He was going to have to alter his excuse a bit.

"I have orders from the captain," he reported. "He wants your shift to end. I'll hold the fort while the other guards get here. You know how that lift is always packed."

One of them shivered. "Yeah."

"Thanks," another said to Kanan as all three walked towards the lift. The other two nodded gratefully.

"Hey, no problem." Kanan was grinning hugely. "I'm always happy to help."

Once they were gone and the lift was ready for more passangers, Kanan slid his lightsaber out of his boot again. He activated it and stabbed the blade into the lift so no _surprises_ could come down while he was stealing the cargo. Getting back up again might be a bit of a problem, but Kanan was sure there would be another lift down the hall he could use.

Kanan put his lightsaber away, then entered the room the three troopers had been guarding. It was medium-sized and completely empty, aside from a single small crate and four more stormtroopers. They were all sitting cross-legged on the floor, playing Sabacc and betting their lunches.

They looked up inquisitively as Kanan walked in.

"Hey, guys," he greeted, trotting forward.

"Hey," one began amiably. "What's-"

Kanan shot him.

The other three stared down at their unconscious companion for a moment and dropping their cards in shock, then up at Kanan again.

"What the _heck?!"_ another one of them demanded.

Man. _These_ guys were allowed to guard a potentially-devastating kyber crystal? Kanan was pretty sure he was actually doing the Empire a favor by knocking the rest out as well.

He then approached the crate. It resonated so strongly with the Force he could feel the hair on his arms standing on end, as though he was a little too close to a tree during an electrical storm.

Kanan reached forward and popped the lid off. There it was, nestled in a bunch of packing peanuts - their last chance to possibly getting Ezra back.

He picked it up reverently. Kyber crystals could be used to make lightsabers - which were deadly in the wrong hands. Perhaps even worse, they could _also_ be used to make all _sorts_ of horrible things - bombs, superlasers, etc. Kanan hoped that whomever Vizago sold it to, it wouldn't be someone with bad intentions.

Kanan tried not to think about the kind of people black market dealers tended to sell to.

He slipped the kyber crystal into his other shoe (it wasn't the most comfortable place for hiding stuff, but it was certainly the go-to one), then grabbed his com, which he'd put on his new stormtrooper belt when he'd changed outfits. "Hera, I've got the kyber crystal. Now I just need to get out. It should be a piece of cake." He wasn't even being sarcastic. "I just need to be quick."

There was no reply from Hera's end.

Kanan's eyebrows met. _"Hera?_ Do you copy?"

Nothing.

"Hera? Chopper?! Is anyone there?!"

Kanan's heart was hammering as he listened to only silence. He couldn't keep standing there. He had to move and carry out the rest of the op and pray that Hera would be able to do the same.

But as he ran back out into the hall and set out to find another lift, he could not quell the fear that something had gone terribly, terribly wrong.


	46. Chapter 45

45

 **IT WASN'T** too long before Kanan located a lift. Just like before, it was chock full of bucketheads, but luckily for him, they were all going up this time. He was too worried about the rest of the crew and getting out with the kyber crystal to whip up another unstuttered lie on the spot.

He left the lift at the docking bay level. Stormtroopers were slowly cleaning up the mess he'd made earlier under the direction of a few Imperial officers.

Kanan merged with a cluster of troopers who'd come off the lift to join the cleanup and strolled right in.

The new band of helpers headed for one of the officers. Kanan kept moving along with them, scanning the bay for his escape vehicle. The first thing he noticed was that _some of the stormtroopers were getting ready to dismantle the_ Phantom _for parts!_

His heart almost stopping in his chest - _If Hera's okay, she's gonna kill me_ \- Kanan quickly broke away from the others and casually speedwalked over. "Hey, you guys," he greeted, struggling to stay calm. "What's up?"

His mind was racing a parsec a minute. How was he going to grab the _Phantom_ and get out? The docking bay was full of stormtroopers, who could leap into the undamaged TIEs and shoot him down, or just shoot him before he'd have the chance, period. He couldn't just knock out the dismantlement team and speed away. That would be insanity. No, this situation required Kanan to think up a spotless plan, and _now._

But Kanan's rapidfire thought process was faltering as dark whispers bubbled up through it.

 _My plans fail. They always fail._

 _Hera didn't answer the com. No one did._

 _This is impossible._

 _So what's the point in trying?..._

Immediately after thinking it, he crushed that thought.

 _Do or do not._ Kanan stared through his helmet's visor, completely blocking out the stormtrooper who was cheerfully explaining what he was doing.

Slowly, Kanan's eyebrows met, and he set his jaw.

The stakes were higher than they'd ever been before, and yes, it was true that this was probably all for nothing and the rest of the crew - the probability had to be faced - had been spotted by one of the other Destroyers.

But no matter how high those stakes were, Kanan would surmount them. He would battle Darth Vader to the end if he had to. He would keep searching for his Padawan until he breathed his last breath.

There was no _do not._ And...

"There is no try," he growled.

The stormtrooper broke off. He and his buddies stared at Kanan.

 _"Um..._ pardon?"

Kanan lifted his good hand towards them, fingers outstretched.

"You will let me inside that shuttle," he said quietly.

"We will let you inside this shuttle," they echoed, immediately locked into a trance.

"And, if I am spotted, you will cover me," added Kanan.

"We will cover you."

As the stormtroopers turned to face the rest of the docking bay, their blasters at the ready, Kanan bolted into the _Phantom._ He vaulted over the back of the pilot's seat to sit in it and started up the shuttle.

A few yards away, an officer whirled around. "Who's in there?!" he shouted, then pointed at the _Phantom._ "Stop that shuttle! The Jedi must be inside!"

A group of stormtroopers dropped what they were doing (they were carrying an injured fellow soldier to the medical wing) and sprinted forward, only to be shot at by the men Kanan had hypnotized.

Kanan wasted no time in looking back to see the resulting turmoil. The _Phantom_ soared free of the Imperial Star Destroyer's docking bay. By the time the ship's crew spotted the shuttle's escape and started up the tractor beam, it was too late. They only succeeded in sucking back in the TIEs that had been sent after Kanan.

Kanan grinned to himself; he couldn't help it. For the most part, that had been pretty fun.

His smile instantly melted when he saw the _Ghost_ was being pursued by dozens of TIE fighters.

Kanan switched on the com. _"Phantom_ to _Ghost:_ I've got the cargo. Time to get the heck outta here!"

As before... no reply.

Kanan growled, realizing right away what was going on. _Our coms were jammed._ He would have smacked his good hand against his forehead if he hadn't needed it to work the controls. He had been so quick to jump to fearing the worst that he hadn't even thought about the smaller answers.

"Well, _that's_ not helpful," Kanan muttered. It sure wasn't. But he had faith that Hera would be able to see him and dock the _Ghost_ with the _Phantom,_ all while evading the TIEs. She was an amazing pilot. Kanan was a decent one, and a great shooter.

They could do it - and they would.

There was no try.


	47. Bonus Chapter 2: Calm Before the Storm

**Since we've nearly capped 200 reviews and you're the best readers I could ever ask for (the fact that you all enjoy what I've written enough to stay with it means so much to me!), I just had to write another bonus chapter. In it, the crew finally gets the chance to sleep during their trying search - and find that if they can even close their eyes at all, all that waits for them is wakefulness and fear.**

 **You also may be happy to hear that I've got the plotline of the sequel down, courtesy of awesome reader Specter14. :D But said plotline is still pretty basic right now, so I wanna hear about what you'd like to happen in it!**

 **Also, I'm thinking about doing an interquel at some point. How does that sound to you?**

 **-Yours truly, Arty!**

Bonus Chapter: Calm Before the Storm

 **TIME. IT** could blow away like autumn leaves in the frigid wind, or it could crawl by so that a mere second seemed to stretch into eternity.

Kanan Jarrus lay wide awake in bed, staring at the bottom of the uninhabited top bunk.

The journey had been and was so long and hard. It had stretched each and every member of the crew to the breaking point. There had been little time to rest at all. The only thing that mattered was getting Ezra Bridger back.

But when the moment came when Kanan could finally lay down and shut his eyes, sleep just would not come to him. His head was full of anticipation. Hope.

Fear.

Kanan had learned well that the Force was stronger than fear could ever be. But at the moment, Kanan could feel only the fear, and it was spreading throughout his entire being.

Ezra. They could be getting him back at last. They could be whole again.

Or the frigid void that the boy had left behind might never be filled.

Kanan breathed a shaky sigh and rolled over. The wall was hardly a change of scenery.

Sabine sat up in the turret, alone. She held herself slightly as she stared up at the endless expanse of stars and blackness.

Her head was filled with thoughts of Ezra.

Ezra had _always_ tried to flirt with her, from the moment she had first removed her helmet in front of him. That had been so long ago, and yet she could still recall it as easily as though it had been yesterday. Sabine wished desperately that everything could just go back to those times, when everyone had been okay and life was just fine.

Now, everything was falling apart. Her birth family, she'd lost to the Empire. In some ways, this entire crew was her second chance at being part of a family, and now it felt like she was losing them all over again. She had always turned down Ezra's constant attempts to woo her with a simple, sarcastic roll of her eyes, treated him like he was nothing more than an annoying younger brother. She'd always tried to shut out the fact that she might actually _return_ his affections. A boy like Ezra, an Imperial cadet, had betrayed her family's secret balefulness towards the Empire. She knew that Ezra wasn't with the Empire, of course... but she just found it hard to open herself up and love again.

Now she was wishing that she had let him in while she'd had the chance, because his absence had left an aching hole in her heart, and she could not help but feel that that hole would remain.. for eternity.

Hera Syndulla was sitting at the Dejarik table, repeatedly taking long sips from a cup of caffeinated drink. She couldn't sleep and didn't want her lack of energy to slow down her thought processes. She had to think over what they would do over the next couple of days long and hard. She wanted to study every variable with unwavering attention, consider every possible outcome of every move. This entire journey was a game of Dejarik, and it was one that she could not - and _would_ not - lose. There was too much at stake. They all loved Ezra, and he was a son to Hera. She was going to get him back no matter _what_ was thrown in her way. Star Destroyers; Sith Lords, and the vast entirety of the Empire's army - she would take them _all_ on alone, if it would return Ezra to the safety of home.

But Dejarik was not Sabacc. Hera was not going to make any gambles. Each and every option that lead to any possible or probable future option had to be scrutinized, because one tiny slipup could cost them the permanent loss of Ezra Bridger.

Zeb was sitting on his bed. It was rather empty in there without Ezra snoring lightly in the top bunk, or bickering with him, or pulling some sort of prank, or... or _snarking,_ at least.

The giant Lasat stared at the floor, his brow creased. He and Ezra did argue and mess with each other all the time. But that was how they had fun. They were simply the oddest big brother-younger brother combo this side of the galaxy.

And Zeb missed that. No matter how many times he'd said to himself, "Well, good riddance to the little Lothrat; now he can't put rocks in my bed" or "So long, twerp; now I tear all your bright, teenagery posters off my walls", he'd never meant it. He was only trying to grapple with the fact that that little brother figure might _never_ be coming back.

Zeb sighed and glanced over at one of those teenagery posters. It was advertising one of the worst bands he'd ever heard. (For all he knew, they were okay, but all the band members wore obnoxious neon-colored clothing, and Ezra had sounded like a chorus of female Lothcats in heat the day Zeb had heard him sing one of those heavy-metal songs. The memory still made Zeb shudder.)

 _Welll... I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a_ FEW _of them down._

Kanan flinched and sat bolt upright as the door to his bedroom suddenly popped open.

He stared into the darkness. He'd been awake for so long that he could see decently.

The intruder was, of all possible intruders, _Chopper._

Kanan gazed at Chopper with wide, astonished eyes as the battered old Astromech rolled across the floor to gently bump into the side of his bed.

"Chopper?" he whispered, more curious than annoyed. "What's gotten into you?"

Chopper's orange dome spun around as he buzzed at Kanan quietly.

Kanan's eyebrows creased. He couldn't help but be surprised. _"Really?"_

Chopper jabbed his electrified probe at him, squawking irritably. "WRR-WRR-WRR!"

Kanan quickly grabbed his pillow and held it between him and the electricity like a shield. _"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!_ It's just that, you know - you're always so grumpy, and _especially_ towards Ezra. I wouldn't have expected you to mind he's gone. N- _NO OFFENSE!"_ he yelped as Chopper shook his mechanical arms threateningly and poked Kanan's pillow shield with the probe.

Chopper buzzed again, slowly withdrawing his probe with a click.

Kanan gingerly set his slightly singed pillow shield on his lap and patted Chopper on the head. "It's okay, Chop. We'll get him back by the day after tomorrow."

The droid spat out a bunch of harsh beeps.

Kanan grimaced. "Yeah... yeah, I know," he muttered heavily. "I _can't_ promise that for sure. And I can't tell you how much I wish I could."

Chopper turned around and scooted back over to the door. Kanan was staring glumly at the ground, not paying attention to the grouchy Astromech anymore. Chopper had come seeking comfort, and Kanan couldn't tell if he had given any real consolation. The only thing he really knew for sure was that Chopper had made him feel a lot worse, even though everything the droid had said was absolutely true.

Kanan heard Chopper pause.

He lifted his head in shock as Chopper uttered a few final, nearly inaudible stuttering beeps.

Kanan stared at the closed door and vacant space where the old Astromech had just been.

He shook his head wonderingly, and a ghost of a smile appeared on his weary face.

 _But we can still hold on to hope._


	48. Chapter 46

46

 **THE FIRST** thing Kanan needed to do was catch Hera's attention. Luckily, that was one of the things he did best!

But, er, it would be a nice plus if he didn't get blown up in the process. The _Phantom_ was merely a small shuttle, and its shields were pretty weak. A couple solid blows from a TIE Fighter would be sufficient to render Kanan and his vessel to space debris.

Kanan didn't really want to be space debris.

He homed in on one of the TIEs weaving and bobbing around the _Ghost_ as it tried to shoot the Corellian freighter without being shot itself. It was pretty easy to take down one of the TIEs from Kanan's current position. The pilots of the attack ships couldn't communicate with each other due to the jam signal the closest Star Destroyer was emitting. There was a LOT of them, with even more on the way in the distance. And none of them had noticed the _Phantom_ yet.

Kanan fired, and his aim was true. The TIE Fighter exploded to smithereens right as the _Ghost'_ s turret rotated to blast at now-empty space. Now his crewmates were aware of the presence of a friend.

Unfortunately, so was the entire fleet of TIE Fighters.

A few peeled away from the horde that was pursuing the _Ghost_ and soared towards the _Phantom._ Kanan meeped inwardly and initiated evasive maneuvers, trying to escape the immediate onslaught of blaster fire. The TIEs were hot on his tail and gaining fast.

"Boy, are these pilots trigger happy!" Kanan yelped, pulling the _Phantom_ into a sloppy roll. He might have been an okay pilot, but he was a loooong ways away from being half as good as Hera. Frantically attempting to dodge his way out of this shooting gallery was virtually pointless when you weren't incredibly skillful and couldn't fire back. All you were doing was basically biding your time until -

Kanan yelled in alarm as the ship gave a violent shudder. Just as before, his head slammed against the dashboard, which was even more painful now that he already had an injury there. The fierce jostle slipped his hands free of the controls and the _Phantom_ instantly began to slow to a halt.

The TIE Fighters swooped in for a final shot when, all of a sudden, the _Ghost_ rocketed back around and blew up the first two. The rest - five - flew straight through the resulting debris, continuing to fire at the _Phantom._

The _Ghost_ turned and kept firing. One of the TIEs' pilots abruptly found that the wing of his fighter had been blown off. The one-winged TIE spiralled into another, sending them both into an explosion. That left three TIEs, which were converging around the _Phantom_ at that very moment.

Kanan groaned and lifted his head, blinking sluggishly. It took a few seconds, but the Jedi got his bearings back and realized what had happened. In a panic, he seized at the bloodied controls, but they weren't responding. The hit the _Phantom_ had taken had caused them to short out.

Kanan could sense the trio of TIEs closing in. Danger had finally caught up to him, and he knew that he was about to die. Not only that, but _everyone_ was about to die. When the shuttle exploded, the kyber crystal would be destroyed, unleashing a shockwave of devastating power that would incinerate everything in the vicinity.

He closed his eyes.

 _I'm sorry._

 _I failed you all._

But before Kanan met his end, something emerged from hyperspace and immediately pulled into a dive, blasting apart all three of the TIEs seemingly in a fraction of the same second. Kanan's eyes flew wide with shock and he looked up just in time to see a small freighter zoom by.

Kanan stared after it, holding a hand to his bloody forehead. He must have been hurt worse than he'd thought. _"What the..."_

There was no time for Hera to process what had just happened. This was her chance. Hera maneuvered the _Ghost_ beneath the _Phantom_ and briefly stopped her ship, waiting for Kanan to dock. When he didn't, she frowned deeply.

It was strange that Kanan hadn't been able to keep flying away from the TIEs. Hera had at first assumed that he'd been injured when the _Phantom_ had been hit. But she was quickly realizing that the controls must have been put out of whack.

Hera pulled up and flipped the _Ghost_ over so that it was above the _Phantom_ instead. "Zeb, I need you to activate the magnetic lock! And fast!" That little freighter couldn't fend off all those TIEs forever.

 _"Don't you think I should stay in the turret?!"_

"Is it the best time to question my orders, Garazeb Orrelios?!"

Zeb winced. Hera could be such an angry mom. "Sorry, Hera. On it now!" He got up and slid down the ladder from the turret, then sprinted to go switch on the magnetic lock.

 _"Replacing Zeb in the turret!"_ came Sabine's voice.

"Good!" Hera glanced back at Chopper, who was grumbling loudly about the whole thing. All it took was Hera's expression to silence him and get him back to staying ready at the gun.

This was her last opportunity to save Kanan's life. When he had clearly been about to die, and when he hadn't been responding to any of her desperate attempts to contact him, it had frozen the blood in her veins. She had never even considered what _else_ would happen if the _Phantom_ blew up. All she cared about - not the ship, not the imminent explosion of the kyber crystal - was Kanan's survival.

It was going to take every last ounce of her focus to ensure his survival - and the survival of the entire crew.

 _And so help me, I am going to get us_ all _out of here alive._

 **Hey, guys, I hope you enjoyed that chapter! But I was wondering - who is inside of that freighter? Would you object to it being an OC? If you all really hate that idea, I could find some sort of canon character to fly it. But they won't be major characters at all, more like a cameo, probably. Thank you for your opinion! :D**

 **~Arty out!**


	49. Chapter 47

47

 **ZEB QUICKLY** reached the controls of the magnetic lock and waited a second for the crosshairs to fix over the _Phantom's_ image. Then he smacked a button and the _Phantom_ was jerked roughly upwards, slamming into the magnetic lock.

(Kanan tumbled out of his chair with a yelp.)

 _"Phantom's_ secure, Hera!" Zeb yelled.

"Hold on!" Hera shouted back, punching in the coordinates that would take them back to Lothal. She wished she could thank whomever was inside that freighter, but there was just no time or option.

The _Ghost,_ with the _Phantom_ attached to its magnetic lock, leapt into hyperspace, leaving the carnage of the TIE Fighters and Imperial officers' pride behind.

The pilot of the freighter kept a close eye on the Corellian ship until it secured its shuttle and made the jump to lightspeed. He then quickly tapped in his own coordinates and watched as the space around them dissolved into streaks of blue and white.

The pilot leaned back in his chair, letting out a loud whistle of relief. "That sure was close, and no Imperial shipment to pay for it, either," he grumbled. "Jabba is gonna be _ticked."_

His enormous Wookiee copilot, who had been working the turret, stooped as far as he could in order to enter the cockpit, then let out an irritated roar.

The pilot rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I saw that those guys already got it. What am I, _blind?"_

The Wookiee tromped over and stood beside him, growling. He pointed expressively at the copilot's seat, which he had broken quite some time ago.

The pilot sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "No kidding. I swear, if Jabba wants us to swipe _anything_ for him, then he should at least give us a better ship than _this_ old bird. How does he expect us to outfly competing thieves in a _junkheap?"_

The Wookie shrugged, then churred at the young man, folding his furry arms.

The pilot stared at him. "Well, of _course_ I saved them anyway! That cargo was _highly explosive,_ Chewie. We would've been wiped out of existence!"

Chewie uttered a skeptical rumble.

The pilot huffed and settled his hands on the controls as his freighter left hyperspace. "I'm a _bounty hunter._ I don't _do_ sentiment, you furball."

The Wookie roared in disagreement and squeezed out of the cockpit, leaving Han Solo to mutter something and roll his eyes once again.


	50. Chapter 48

48

 **ONCE THEY** were back in safe space, Hera radioed Kanan urgently.

"Come in, Kanan, are you okay?"

Inside the _Phantom,_ Kanan had struggled to his feet, blinking in a daze from all the hits to the head. He pressed the com button. "Yeah, Hera, I... I'm okay."

"You don't _sound_ okay."

"I hear a lot of _blame_ in your voice..."

Hera rolled her eyes. "Nevermind. We're going to land near Tarkintown so we can get you out of the Phantom and treat you. Then I'll get Chopper and Tseebo working on repairing your controls, and then we'll deliver the cargo to Vizago - 'we' being me, Zeb, and Sabine, if you're too badly hurt."

Kanan sighed dramatically, though they were both clinging to every word the other said, struggling to calm down and reassure one another with normal sarcastic banter. "Didn't I just say I'm okay? Don't worry about me."

"I _always_ worry about you," Hera responded gently. _I love you._

Kanan smiled faintly, his cyan eyes remorseful. "You too, Hera. Over and out."

Hera piloted the _Ghost_ into Lothal's atmosphere, then landed smoothly on the hill above Tarkintown.

She took a small, deep breath, then got up and turned to Chopper. "Chop, you heard what I told Kanan. Detach the _Phantom_ from the magnetic lock and go tell Tseebo I said to help you with the repairs."

 _"Wrr-wrr."_

Hera frowned at him exasperatedly as she walked by. "Just do it."

Unsurprisingly, Zeb and Sabine were standing erect in the common room, waiting for Hera. When she entered, they stared at her expectantly, worry on their faces.

"Kanan says he's fine," Hera assured them. Their shoulders slumped vaguely with relief. "Where's Tseebo?"

"He's hiding in the kitchen," Sabine sighed. "He's, um... not really an action guy."

"That's fine. Chopper should come to get him in a bit. Come on, we need to get Kanan out of the _Phantom_ and head to Vizago's camp. Are you up to it?"

Hera merely asked out of courtesy. She smiled at them, already knowing the answer.

Zeb grinned. "Thought you'd never ask!"

By the time the three crewmembers left the _Ghost_ and approached the _Phantom,_ Chopper had already deactivated the magnetic lock, as Hera had requested. The Twi'lek captain knocked on the shuttle's closed entry ramp, then stepped back.

After a minute or two, the entry ramp shuddered open with several clipped screeches. Hera and Sabine grimaced, and Zeb clamped his hands over his ears. _("Karabast!")_

Kanan stumbled out into the long grass, one palm pressed against his bloody forehead as he beamed at his friends. He couldn't have been happier to see them.

The others, however, flinched in horror.

 _"Kanan, what in the Outer Rim happened to your head?!"_ Sabine shrieked.

"I, uh, hit it against the dashboard a couple times by accident..."

"And you didn't TREAT it?" Hera demanded angrily. "There is a first aid kit inside of a compartment by the controls!" So saying, she stomped past him into the shuttle.

Kanan winced. "I forgot about that... S-Sorry, Hera."

That only earned him a venomous comment in Twi'lekki. He deserved whatever she'd said, sure, but he understood that she was only mad because he'd scared her, and he felt terrible for that.

Zeb slowly raised one hand. "I have a more important question."

Kanan glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, Zeb?"

Zeb stared at him. "Why are you wearing buckethead armor and a Tooka's face?"

"Uhh.." Kanan reddened underneath the paint and lifted a finger, opening his mouth to explain.

Unfortunately, he was cut off by an irate Sabine.

"IS THAT _MY_ PAINT?!"


	51. Chapter 49

49

 **AFTER KANAN** was bandaged, cleaned up, and devoid of stormtrooper armor (and all angry women were appeased), the foursome set out through the fields, just as they had not so many days before - only this time, they were selling a potentially deadly kyber crystal to a shady crime boss. (What could _possibly_ go wrong?)

Kanan's lightsaber was clipped back onto his belt for all of Vizago's droids to see as he warily reentered the Devaronian's black market camp, but he kept the crystal out of sight in case they or Vizago himself attempted to break the deal.

The tiny band paused as Hera stepped towards one of the large droids, her eyes narrowed and _lekku_ twitching. "Take us to Vizago."

The droid silently turned and walked off in the direction of Vizago's tent. The rebels exchanged glances before following it. Every one of them had their hands on their weapons, just in case the probability came true that the situation turned very sour.

The droid soon came to a rigid halt before Vizago's tent. As the rebels entered, Kanan couldn't help but notice that the droid remained where it was, even though there were already five guards.

Kanan didn't really like that much.

Vizago was sitting at the head of his table again, smirking at them in a rather ominous way as he drummed his claws together. "Ah, very good, very good. Glad to see my clientele back in one piece. Tell me, how was the journey? Are you all well? I notice that Kanan there has a bandage on his head. That must be some story, being the all-powerful Jedi you are, eh?"

Kanan's eye twitched. "Cut to the chase, Vizago," he snarled. "We've got the crystal. You give us the intel."

Vizago smiled smugly. "Such a fine businessman, you are." He stretched, leaning back in his chair. "You see... there seems to be a... _problem_ with that."

Hera gripped onto the blaster at her side. "Vizago..." she growled warningly. "We almost sacrificed our _lives_ for this crystal. You are going to _cooperate_ and you are going to be _honest_ or else I will take the crystal and _destroy_ it - right here, right now."

The other rebels stared at Hera in horror or questioning while Vizago snapped to attention, giving Hera a long look.

"You're... you're bluffing," he said with false confidence, waving a hand carelessly.

 _"Am_ I?" Hera reached into her pocket and removed the kyber crystal. It glittered in the half-light as she pressed the muzzle of her blaster against it, gazing back into Vizago's soul.

"Are you _INSANE,_ Twi'lek?!" Vizago's violet eyes stretched wide and he sat forward so fast he nearly fell out of his chair. "Y-You'll kill us all!"

Hera regarded him calmly. Her crewmates were silent. "Do you want to find out?"

Vizago bit his lip, then stood and approached them.

"That's close enough," Hera snapped, and he froze about five feet away.

"I'll.. all right, all right, I'll cooperate!" Vizago stammered. "H-Here's the intel: the Empire is taking your Ezra Bridger boy to a planet called Kysor 4 tomorrow morning."

Hera flinched.

Kanan stared at Vizago hard. "The _Empire?_ But we've done our own investigations through our own sources and they've reported that the Empire _doesn't_ have Ezra."

"Well, your sources must not be as trustworthy as you think they are," Vizago drawled.

Hera narrowed her eyes. "What are _yours?"_

"I've given you all the information you are entitled to. Now hand over the kyber crystal, Syndulla." Vizago folded his scarred, muscular arms.

Hera glanced over at the others. All three of them gave her a small nod, but this small action made the bigger message clear: it was worth it for Ezra, and if this decision came back to bite them one day, then so be it.

Hera couldn't have agreed more.

She tossed Vizago the kyber crystal. He fumbled to catch it, then glared at the rebels, an ear twitching.

"As always, it has been a pleasure," he said flatly.

"The feeling is mutual." Hera beckoned to her crew. Then they all turned and walked out without a second glance, regarding the droids with wary eyes.

Once they were gone, Vizago looked down at the kyber crystal. A smirk slowly appeared on his lips. Then he began to chuckle. Then the Devaronian almost doubled over with laughter.

"Those rebels are fools," he gasped, once he finally started to recover. He grinned spitefully after them, then exited the tent in order to confront one of his droids.

"Contact Marek at once," Vizago told it, narrowing his eyes. "And tell him he had better pay every last credit he promised me."


	52. Chapter 50

50

 **THE REBELS** walked at a brisk pace until they were a considerable distance away from Vizago's camp. Then Hera abruptly stopped. The rest of the group paused behind her as well.

Hera whirled and stared at Kanan, a mixture of grief and joy on her teary green face. "We're _so close,"_ she breathed.

Kanan broke into a miserable and happy grin. The Twi'lek captain shrieked in surprise as he grabbed her by the waist and hefted her up to twirl her in the air, laughing.

Sabine and Zeb gazed at them in blank astonishment, then started to snigger - at least, Sabine was, until she was cut off with a yelp. Zeb seized her and hefted her up onto his shoulders, and she rode there the rest of the way home, both individuals (and Kanan and Hera as well) grinning like maniacs.

Their joy died down into solemnity as party returned to the hill Hera had left the _Ghost_ on. There, they discovered that the _Phantom_ had apparently been repaired and docked back with the main ship. Hera nodded in approval and walked up into the _Ghost_ via the entry ramp, which had been left open for them. Zeb closed it behind them.

Immediately, Hera sprinted on ahead. "Get Chopper and Tseebo and meet me in the common room!" she shouted over her shoulder.

All three of the others promptly saluted and ran off in opposite directions.

It took almost ten full minutes for Kanan, Sabine, and Zeb to realize that Chopper and Tseebo _weren't_ anywhere aboard the ship. Stumped and dejected, they rejoined one another and headed into the common room to report their failure to Hera.

Hera was sitting at the Dejarik table, waiting - with Tseebo and Chopper.

The trio stared in slack-jawed shock as Hera gave an apologetic shrug. "They were already here, playing a game to wait for us."

Zeb's eyes nearly fell out of his head as he gave voice to the stunned thoughts Sabine and Kanan were both thinking. "So, then, do tell WHY YOU DIDN'T COME AND TELL US?!"

"I decided it was the perfect opportunity to fill Tseebo and Chopper in on everything they missed," Hera said, but her tone was tinged with the slight awkward squeak of a lie.

 _"Wrr, wrr, wrr,_ PHERRR," Chopper buzzed, waving his mechanical arms everywhere as he spun his dome. _"Wrr wrr wrr."_

Zeb glared at Chopper, even though he couldn't understand what the droid was saying. With Chopper, there was an almost definite chance that his weird noises translated into something extremely insulting.

Kanan, however, narrowed his eyes and folded his arms. "I thought as much."

Sabine sighed in annoyance and glanced over at Zeb. "Chopper says that the REAL reason why they didn't come and get us was because they were curious how long it would take for us to realize that he and Tseebo were actually here. _And,_ of course... it was _Chopper's_ idea."

Zeb snarled and stepped towards the troublemaking Astromech, but Kanan extended his good arm to keep him back without even taking his eyes off the others. "Alright, well, whatever. Now that everyone is on the same file and we finally know where Ezra is, we need a game plan."

Zeb was still steaming, but Kanan's swift and tactical changing of subjects was cooling him off considerably. "Yeah." He crossed his enormous, armored arms. "Something I actually wanted to discuss - where the heck is Kysor 4? Vizago said that's where the Empire is taking the kid." His ears twitched. "But I've never heard of that place."

Kanan glanced at Sabine, who shrugged, and then admitted, "Us, either."

Hera bit her lip and looked at Tseebo for a hesitant split second before leaning forward across the table on her eblows. "I've heard of it," she said softly. "It's a inhospitable planet for humans, so it isn't advertised. I only learned about it from a traveler who was telling his friend about the place, but I didn't want to stop and eavesdrop." Her eyebrows met. "All I heard that man say was that Kysor 4 is the flipside of Mustafar."

Kanan shuddered.

"Must...must be some place," he croaked hoarsely.

Zeb grimaced. "Um... isn't _Mustafar_ where the Imperials took Kanan to..."

"Yeah," said Kanan, Hera, and Sabine at the same time, their voices hollow.

"Then..." Zeb slowly stiffened. He stared back at his friends, even as they came to the same realization as he. "What if... the Empire uses Kysor 4.. _for the same reason?"_

Hera and Kanan both turned sheet white. Sabine still had her helmet on, so none of the other crewmembers could see her skin tone going from perfectly tan to cadaverous.

Hera turned to Tseebo abruptly. Even though the Rodian's complexion was lime green, he, too, seemed to be drained of color. "Tseebo," she said shakily. "Look up the database on Kysor 4."

Tseebo shivered involuntarily as the AJ^6 cyborg construct implant in his head suddenly spouted an image of a medium-sized planet of ice. Galactic Basic text, none of it encrypted, scrolled on various sections of the image as Tseebo spoke.

"Kysor 4 is the only planet within the Kysor System that is even slightly hospitable. There are three others, all of which are either too far or too close to the parent star, Kysor A. Kysor 4 itself is also extremely far away from Kysor A, and a human cannot survive on its surface at all without heavy gear, as the planet is merely a single frigid ocean capped with a layer of ice. However, even a fully geared human will not be able to live there for very long. Once Kysor 4's brief and subzero daytime of 4 hours, 12 minutes and 20 seconds ends, the temperatures will fall so greatly that all life aside from the extinct species that evolved to survive there will perish."

"Are there hyperspace lanes that lead there?" Hera asked Tseebo, trying to swallow a thick lump that was rising in her throat even as Zeb, Kanan, and Sabine were rigid with fear for Ezra.

Tseebo shook his head and the holograms disappeared. "No, there are not any. But Tseebo can make adjustments to hyperspace coordinates that lead to a nearby system to get you there."

 _"Thank_ you, Tseebo," Hera said softly, gripping Tseebo's wrists gently. "We are that much closer to getting Ezra back, all because of you."

Hera could have sworn that Tseebo blushed. "Tseebo will always be happy to help," he said bashfully.


	53. Chapter 51

51

 **SHORTLY AFTER** the meeting's conclusion, Hera and Tseebo rushed up to the cockpit. Hera jumped into her chair and typed the coordinates Tseebo had given her into the ship's controls. Instantly, the Ghost leapt into hyperspace, and Tseebo knelt near the passenger's seat, adjusting their destination.

Hera stared out the wide front window, her shining green eyes reflecting the streaks of azure and white.

 _This is it._

 _And nothing is going to hold me back._

Kanan Jarrus sat on his bed. His cyan eyes were closed, his legs crossed, and his angular brown eyebrows scrunched with deep concentration as he struggled to reach out with the Force, as far as he could.

Kanan breathed in and out, slowly and steadily. _Ezra... Ezra, can you hear me?_

Kanan's mind brushed nothing but coldness so far. He reached even further into the dark depths of nowhere, searching and searching for the tiniest, farthest pinprick of light.

 _Ezra, we're coming._ Kanan tried to project his message clearly and strongly, far enough to be even possibly heard by his lost Padawan. _Everything will be better soon - just the way it should be._

Suddenly, Kanan finally felt a spike in the Force. It took all of his might not to jolt out of his meditation with shock and excitement. Instead, he managed to delve deeper, approaching the spike and attempting to latch onto it. He _couldn't_ lose it. It already seemed so wonderfully familiar. It _had_ to be him. It had to be Ezra!

Every chance Kanan had gotten during the endeavor to get Ezra back, he'd tried to shut his eyes, focus, and cast out his mind like this in the hopes of locating the boy. But he had never felt any other Force-sensitives, aside from the horrifying times when Darth Vader was nearby, or when the crew had gone to steal the kyber crystal for Vizago. But the moments when Kanan could meditate were too brief for him to commit to a search this broad. That had been the one thing that had kept the despair of finding nothing from crushing him.

But now, at last - he had succeeded.

 _Ezra!_ Kanan strained to send more thoughts in the direction of the spike in the Force. It was very far away, and Kanan was already exhausting himself to the point where he was physically trembling and a fierce pain was rising up in his head. But Kanan would not, could NOT let this go. _Ezra, is that you? Can you hear me?!_

Kanan gathered up the majority of the energy he had left and threw his mind at the spike, connecting with it. It was a terribly strenuous act to perform over such a far range, and Kanan would certainly pay for it immediately. But making contact with someone who _might_ be Ezra - even if only for a second, when it had been so, so likely that they would never see or hear any sign of him ever again - was worth _anything._

But instead of the warm, clever, complex, and oftentimes highly sarcastic and snarky place that was Ezra's mind, Kanan was met with only cold.

 _Cold._

The horrible, overwhelmingly powerful, blood-freezing cold of the Dark Side.

Kanan screamed in agony as the awful, awful mind turned its attention to him and emotionlessly pushed back, stabbing a lightsaber of icy rage full-force into Kanan's brain.

Then everything shattered to black.


	54. Chapter 52

52

 **"KANAN! KANAN,** can you hear me? Wake up!"

Slowly, groggily, Kanan's cyan eyes slid half-open. He heard these words as though he was deep underwater and someone was calling him from the surface far above.

 _"Kanan!"_ The voice washed over with relief, and suddenly he was shaken roughly by the shoulders. "All the way! Wake up and tell me what happened!"

Kanan yelped and promptly obliged. "S-stop-" he slurred out, abruptly very aware of a horrible pain in his head.

Whoever it was immediately released him, causing him to take a faceplant on the floor. "Oops, sorry, Master. I didn't know your head hurt. What in the Outer Rim did you do, fall out of your bed or something? Ehh... wait, that sounds like too little a thing for you to have passed out from. Oh!" Kanan wearily lifted his head and found himself staring up into a blurred, albeit clearly excited, face. "Did you have a _vision?!"_

Kanan blinked twice, and his vision cleared.

Shock instantly jolted through him.

"Y-You-" he stammered weakly. "How-" Tears sprang to his eyes.

It was _Ezra._ Ezra Bridger, his lost Padawan.

At last, but - but _how?!_

Ezra tilted his head quizzically, his ebony bangs falling to one side. "Um.. Kanan... I'm starting to get weirded out here," he said awkwardly, peering at his master more closely. "Are you hurt?"

"This... this is _impossible,"_ Kanan muttered, groaning faintly as he forced himself to sit up. Ezra quickly reached out to support him. "You- You're not real. You _can't_ be. I-I must be dreaming..."

Ezra scoffed. "What? _You're_ crazy. Of course I'm real!" He narrowed his eyes at Kanan. "Seriously, do I look like I'm _not_ real?!"

Kanan frowned at him. "W-Well- _no,_ but..." He rubbed his temples, struggling to comprehend this. Kanan took deep breaths and tried to calm down. _I need to be able to think logically..._ "Let's see," Kanan mumbled to himself. "We finally found out where Ezra might be..."

Ezra stared. _"Kanan._ I'm right here.."

"Hera was flying us there, and Tseebo was adjusting the hyperspace coordinates..."

"What the _heck_ are you talking about?! _Tseebo?!"_ Ezra demanded.

"I went to my bedroom to get ready and try and make contact with Ezra..."

"You are SERIOUSLY getting creepy!"

 _"Ezra!"_ Kanan snapped, glaring. "I'm trying to focus!"

 _"I_ think you're trying to go insane," Ezra snarked. "And I also think it's mission accomplished. Congratulations, sir, you are a nutcase."

Kanan sighed loudly in annoyance, then flinched and stared at Ezra again, hard.

Ezra shifted uncomfortably, staring back. "Ummm.."

"That is _exactly_ like something the real Ezra would say," Kanan groaned, burying his face in his hands. "But - but this isn't possible! It just _isn't!_ I - I _want_ it to be true, but..."

"Kanan." Ezra's voice was very calm, firm, and understanding. "I think you've had some sort of nightmare. Maybe I should try to bug you less. Come on, I'll help you up."

Kanan lifted his head miserably. He didn't know what was true and what wasn't right then, but he could still comply. He knew that this Ezra, real or not, could help him figure it all out in some way.

Ezra offered a half smile and his hand to Kanan.

Kanan reached out to take it.

His fingers did not make contact.

Kanan's eyes widened in shock and growing horror as his hand passed straight through Ezra's.

Before either of them could react at all, however, an awful _CRACK_ ensued from beneath them.

Kanan and Ezra stared downwards and witnessed with terrified gazes as the floor suddenly webbed across with fractures. They split apart wider and wider, branching out further and further until the entire area around them looked like a plate under heavy pressure.

Ezra's eyes darted over to his Jedi Master. "NO!" He thrust himself against Kanan, sending the man sprawling out of the way just as the floor shattered. The broken fragments took Ezra with them down into the dark void below.

The room dimmed as Kanan looked up just in time to see Ezra's head disappear. "EZRA!" he shouted, scrambling over to the hole, but the floor had sealed over. Kanan pounded on it desperately, but it was as solid as durasteel. _"EZRA!"_

As the last of the light trickled away from around him, Kanan found himself surrounded by only the echoes of a sinister laugh - and the smothering, icy coldness of the Dark Side...


	55. Chapter 53

53

 **KANAN WOKE** up with a ragged gasp. _"EZRA!"_

Someone gripped his shoulders firmly. "Kanan - Kanan, calm down. It was only a nightmare."

Kanan blinked open his eyes to find himself staring up into those of Sabine Wren. His chest was heaving, he was drenched in a cold sweat, and his heartbeat was almost all he could hear.

"W-what- but-but _Ezra-"_ he stammered.

"Easy, Kanan." Sabine carefully helped him to sit up and lean against his bunk. Her voice was laden with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Is-is this-" Kanan looked around frantically. "Where is he?! Is he okay?"

Sabine frowned deeply. "Kanan... if you're talking about Ezra... he's probably on Kysor 4 right now. We're to meet the others in the common room and organize the rescue op. We just came out of hyperspace; Hera sent me to tell you."

Kanan stared at her for a moment, then slowly felt himself beginning to calm. "Oh," he murmured with relief. "It really... it really was just a nightmare..."

"And I'm gonna stop you before you can start freaking out and saying all that 'unless THIS is a nightmare!' bantha dung," Sabine told him with a smirk. "Come on, do you feel okay enough to join us, or would you like us to come to you?"

Kanan frowned for a second at that question. It felt like he had a headache, but it was subsiding quickly. He also felt oddly cold, but that wasn't really something to worry about. He frowned a little more when he realized that he couldn't remember falling asleep in the first place - but the events of his nightmare were deeply disturbing him. Had it been completely meaningless, created from the fears of his own subconscious? Or was it something more - a warning induced by the Force?

"Yeah, I'm okay. Let's go," Kanan confirmed. Sabine helped him to his feet, and together, they walked out of the cabin.

He would worry about it later.

What mattered now was rescuing Ezra while they finally had their chance - not the possible urgent messages that might be embedded within what was surely just a completely normal nightmare that anyone would expect to have in a situation like this.

 _Surely..._

The others were waiting for Sabine and Kanan around the Dejarik table. It seemed like they had already begun talking amongst themselves, but they stopped and looked up when the last two rebels walked in. Kanan and Sabine were greeted by very serious faces.

Kanan's eyebrows met right away, sensing something... bad. _"What..._ What's the matter?"

Tseebo regarded Kanan solemnly. "We have emerged into the Kysor System, but we cannot land on Kysor 4 at this time."

Kanan's eyes widened. _"What?"_

"What are you talking about, Tseebo?!" Sabine demanded urgently.

Zeb drummed his claws on the table with a sigh as Hera leaned forward and spoke up. "Day on Kysor 4 only lasts for approximately four hours, that is the only time the planet is warm enough for anyone to survive there even with a heavily protective suit," she informed Kanan grimly. "I have a couple of those suits stored somewhere on the _Ghost,_ but we'll have to wait until Kysor 4's next daytime to start searching."

Sabine moaned. "No!"

Kanan's heart sank. "Which is...?"

"The next day of Kysor 4 will occur in 23.3 hours," Tseebo announced helpfully.

Sabine groaned again, this time with Kanan joining her.

"All we've got left to do now... is wait," surmised Zeb with a sigh, leaning back in his seat.

Hera stood, folding her arms. "And there's _nothing_ we can do to change that," she said, eyeing the irrationally determined look that had begun to creep onto Kanan's face. "We just have to make the most of it. Try to get some rest, rebels." She walked out of the room briskly.

"We're going to need it."


	56. Chapter 54

54

 **IT SEEMED** as though an entire eternity had to pass by before it was time to prepare.

Hera had been very right indeed when she'd said that they'd need rest. None of them had slept (excepting those who had been knocked unconscious, but that didn't really count) ever since Ezra had disappeared. It was a wonder that any of them had stayed awake at all before this, but fear, anticipation, and all of the intense action (and, of course, caff) had kept them up through all the restless hours.

For several more hours that night, however, the _Ghost_ crew found that they could barely even close their eyes. They were either so, so close to finding Ezra - or they had never gotten anywhere at all, and never would.

But after minutes upon minutes of thinking the same haunted thoughts...

...over and over...

..they all finally worried... worried themselves to...

..sleep.

And then the eternity was abruptly over.

 _"WAKE UP!"_ Hera suddenly screamed over the internal com, every last one of the crewmembers sitting bolt upright in or falling out of their beds. Either way, they wound up extremely startled and rather bruised. _"IT'S TIME TO GO! EVERYONE GET READY AND MEET ME IN THE COCKPIT, STAT!"_

Strangely enough, no one was grumpy after being rudely awakened this way. They scrambled to oblige, and fifteen minutes later, everyone was crowded into the cockpit, wide awake.

Hera briskly and immediately got down to business. "I found the suits, but there are only two," she told them. "Kanan and I bought them a long time ago for an old op. Tseebo checked them over (Tseebo, who was standing in front of the copilot seat when he could have been sitting in it, gave a friendly wave), but the life support on mine is damaged and the suit has a gash in the front."

"That was a good day," Kanan recalled.

Hera ignored him, though it was very hard not to start blurting a fierce comeback about him and the wampas. "That means that Kanan is the only one who can survive on the planet."

Kanan blinked. Then his eyes widened. "Hold on. I won't be able to find anyone on a planet by myself in 4 hours. Hera, if we're going to find Ezra during this window, then we _need_ more searchers."

"Don't worry, I already thought about that." Hera reached out and clipped something to Kanan's tunic. He crossed his eyes to look down at it in surprise. "This is a tracker. We'll follow you from the _Ghost._ Chopper already ran a diagnostic with Tseebo and they found out that our heating system isn't strong enough to combat Kysor 4's frigid atmosphere for very long, but we'll still be following you from up in the atmosphere. Every now and then we'll dip down and do a scan for life forms and active machinery. If we find anything, we'll com you."

Kanan nodded, highly impressed as always with Hera's planning. "Sounds perfect, Hera. Thank you."

Hera smiled faintly, then reached towards her chair. She pulled an orange suit off of it and tossed it to Kanan. He caught it instantly. "Go and put this on," ordered the Twi'lek captain. "I suggest you dress warmly underneath."

Kanan frowned. "But my entire wardrobe consists of only exact copies of this outfit."

 _"LAYER!"_

* * *

 **Hey, guys! I have a couple more chapters to post after this, and, um... I'm not so sure if you're ready for what's about to come. You might want to turn back now, because this is the last breather chapter you are ever going to get.**

 **DUN DUN DUNNNNN...**

 **On a lighter note, I spent a few hours a couple days ago making a cool new cover for this story. My dad helped with the Kanan part of it (he made it so that the image had a transparent background, so it would merge perfectly with the rest of the cover). I hope you like it and the in-story doomsday to come!**

 **Yours dramatically (and teasingly),**

 **Arty~**


	57. Chapter 55

55

 **THE** ** _GHOST_** made its descent through the atmosphere of Kysor 4. Hera stared as ice crystals crawled their way across her ship's windshield. Beyond them, all that was to be seen was a blank landscape of flat whiteness, stretching on eternally.

Hera silently felt awful that Kanan had to go out there all alone, but whenever her thoughts turned to the long list of terrible things that could happen to him, she quickly reminded herself of the precautionary measures: the tracker. Their coms. The frequent scans.

 _It will be fine._

 _Everything will be fine..._

The ship pulled up to hover just above the ice. The entry ramp hissed open and Kanan, garbed in the protective orange bodysuit, stepped out onto its edge.

Instantly, despite the suit, Kanan could feel the intense cold. It crept into his skin down to his very bones and made him shiver. It reminded him disturbingly of how he felt in the presence of the Dark Side.

And he could only imagine just how freezing it would be without the suit's protection.

 _I would be dead,_ Kanan thought. His throat went abruptly dry.

His com let out a beep and he unclipped it from the suit's belt, which also held his pistol and lightsaber.

 _"Are you sure that you have everything?"_ Hera's voice was tense and worrying.

"I'm sure," Kanan confirmed, his cyan eyes softening behind his suit's visor. "Don't you worry, Hera. I'll be careful. And if Ezra is here, then I _will_ bring him back." His gaze hardened again with determination. "I _promise."_

 _"Good luck, Kanan,"_ Hera told him softly. _"Over and out."_

Kanan put the little device away, then drew on the Force. Even on this huge chunk of ice devoid of any living creatures, it was still present all around. It kind of helped to soothe some of his fears.

Kanan sprang off of the entry ramp to land several feet away on the ground below. The hard snow crunched beneath his boots. The Jedi looked up to watch as the entry ramp folded shut and the _Ghost_ ascended to soar high up and out of sight.

Kanan stared after it for a moment, then lowered his head and turned to survey his surroundings. There was merely nothing as far as the eye could see. White everywhere, glittering here and there with hints of blue. The sky was clear, but mostly dark, aside from a single tiny star that Kanan knew was the Kysor System's sun.

It didn't help that Kanan's visor was tinted to protect his eyes from the harmful glare of sunlight reflecting off snow and ice. He unclipped his lightsaber and switched it on. The humming azure blade cascaded out and lit up the air around him.

Kanan glanced down at the ice as he began to walk, holding his weapon up like a glowstick. The radiance illuminated it with beautiful patterns of reflections. The fact that there could be beauty on a planet where the lives of his crew could be shattered in an instant, forever.. well, Kanan didn't exactly _like_ that, but he could still appreciate it.

He squinted ahead and all around, searching for something that didn't belong here. Another person walking in the distance. A ship. A kriffing _Star Destroyer._

 _Anything._

But there was nothing.

And so Kanan Jarrus trudged on, but a feeble blue light in the crushing darkness.


	58. Chapter 56

56

 **HOURS TICKED** by.

Kanan's every breath fogged up his visor, and then faded away. He held his lightsaber high above his head with one arm and hugged himself with the other, shivering. It was so cold here. So oppressively _silent.._

Kanan fumbled for his com with his free hand. His fingers were numb. When he finally got ahold of it, he turned it on and held it to his mouth. "H-Hera- d-do you read?"

After a moment of faint background yelling, Hera replied. _"Yes, Kanan. I'm here."_ He could almost hear that worried frown in her voice. _"Are you alright, love?"_

"I-I'm f-fine, only c-cold. I-I... I wanted s-someone to talk to. I-It's j-just too _quiet_ here."

 _"I understand, Kanan."_ Hera's gentle tone almost made Kanan feel warm again. _"You have about an hour left; that's why it's getting colder. Have you found anything?"_

"N-Negative, Hera. B-But I'm n-not gonna stop l-looking." Kanan lowered his lightsaber a little bit, trying to get the heat of the blade to penetrate him.

 _"I know you won't. Stay safe."_

"I will."

Kanan switched off the com and tried to put it away. Instead, it fumbled through his fingers and clattered to the ice. He sighed in annoyance and stooped down to pick it up.

To his astonishment, if he looked hard enough, he could see past his own (devilishly handsome) reflection and _through_ _the ice._ Kanan leaned closer, staring. It looked like there was water down there.

Kanan gulped and straightened, clipping his com to his belt. _The ice is thinner around here...I'd better be careful to listen for it cracking. If I fall through, I'm a goner._

The Jedi continued on. He wasn't sure how many more precious minutes slipped away as he walked, but he knew that if he didn't find Ezra soon, none of them would ever see the boy again.

 _Some master I turned out to be._

Kanan came to the foot of a small hill. Even though he had to go up it, he found himself extremely grateful for the geographical change. The endless expanse of ice looked exactly the same no matter where he looked. It made him feel unsettlingly like he was going nowhere.

Reaching the top was an easy task; the slope wasn't long or steep at all. Kanan was pleased by that, because all of this walking was making him feel tired. He drew on the Force for strength, then looked down the other side of the hill.

It led very steeply down to more flat ice.

Kanan's eyes stretched wide and his breath caught as though he had finally frozen.

There, sitting still and silent just a few yards beyond the bottom of the hill... was an Imperial freighter.


	59. Chapter 57

57

 **KANAN WASTED** no time thinking.

His heart was hammering furiously as he sprang forward. _Ezra_ has _to be on that ship. He has to be!_

 _Finally. Finally, this is all-_

Kanan yelped in alarm as his feet gave way beneath him. Suddenly, he was slipping rapidly down the slope on his back.

With every inch he slid, he slid faster and faster - until he shot straight into the freighter with a loud BANG.

After a moment, Kanan stirred and groaned. He lifted his head, blinking, and crawled forward. "So much for stealth," he mumbled.

He clambered stiffly to his feet, wincing, and quickly glanced around. There were no stormtroopers coming running. He stared at the freighter apprehensively, backing away.

No one came out.

Kanan frowned. That didn't make him any less tense. _Strange,_ he thought, but he needed to make sure that his suit hadn't been damaged at all. He checked himself over. Thankfully, there were no rips that he could see. The strap that fastened his pistol to his belt was a little stretched - harmless. And his com-

-was gone.

Kanan gasped and looked around frantically. He spotted it almost instantly, sitting on the miniature snowbank his uncontrollable slide had pushed up by the bottom of the freighter.

It was shattered to irreparable pieces.

He groaned. _"Noo..."_ Kanan dragged his hand across the front of his visor. That wasn't good. But it was definitely still much better than a rip in his suit, or if he had lost his-

Kanan froze.

 _My lightsaber!_

He had been holding it when he'd slipped. It must have gone flying from his grasp. Kanan let out a frustrated growl and closed his eyes, searching for it through the Force.

It was close, but its radiation was a little muffled.

Kanan opened his eyes again with a triumphant smile and turned around. He strolled towards a little lump of snow near the foot of the hill and bent down to pull his lightsaber out from inside.

He paused, stiffening.

Suddenly, he felt very, very... _watched._

Kanan retrieved his lightsaber and straightened. Casually, he gave himself a light dusting off with one hand, trying to make it seem as though he hadn't noticed. Really, though, he had shut his eyes again, trying to locate the individual with the Force.

Kanan frowned deeply and focused harder. It felt like something was _repelling_ his search.

 _Suspicious..._

He stopped and slowly, warily approached the hill. That would have been a good place for someone to hide. If someone walked (or, in Kanan's case, slid screaming) down the hill, anyone hiding on either side of it would have been able to shoot that someone down without ever being seen.

 _Thud._

Kanan went rigid.

That sound had come from behind.

He whirled around.

There was a stranger crouching down a few feet away, between Kanan and the freighter. Kanan realized that they must have been on top of the freighter all along.

The stranger was wearing a protective suit like Kanan's, only much more modern, armored, and pitch black in color. As they straightened, Kanan was abruptly all too aware of the old-looking lightsaber hilt they gripped in their right hand.

Then they lifted their head.

Through their mostly transparent visor, Kanan could see the stranger's eyes.

Emotionless. Colder than the air around them.

And most of all, _blue._

They were the bluest Kanan had ever seen.

And there was only one person he had ever met with eyes like those.

The galaxy grew pitifully small around Kanan as his blood filled with ice. His heart stopped, and his eyes widened and stung as tears sprang into them. His shock, his terror, his absolute _despair -_ they could not be expressed.

"Ezra," he whispered hollowly. _"No..."_

What was left of Ezra Bridger stepped forward and activated the lightsaber. It was bright red and covered the ice below his feet in a bloody glow.

Then he let out a soft snarl.

 _"Prepare to die."_


	60. Chapter 58

58

 **KANAN BACKED** away slowly as Ezra advanced. The boy's every move was akin to a carnivore creeping, creeping forward, eyes sharp as it stalked its prey.

Kanan's eyes were stretched wide with horror, grief, and disbelief. "Ezra," he said shakily. "N-no, this - this _can't.._ you aren't... _Ezra.."_ Tears spilled over onto his face. They stung against his cold face and felt painfully hot.

"You are correct," Ezra growled, his voice steaming with acid. "That name no longer has any meaning to me." He came to a stop almost two feet away from Kanan and pointed his humming blade at his former master's devastated face. "I am _Shadowhunter._ And I am here to destroy you."

Kanan stared at his Padawan, shaking.

 _"No,"_ he said fiercely, gathering himself back together as quickly and strongly as he could. "You _aren't_ Shadowhunter. You're Ezra. Ezra Bridger, my Padawan, my _friend."_ His tears continued to flow, dripping down into his suit. It was an uncomfortable sensation, but Kanan paid it no attention. There was nothing he could do to stop it - but there had to be something he could do to succeed in his mission. "I'm still going to save you. And no one in this galaxy is going to hold me back!"

Ezra glowered at him. "I am Shadowhunter," he repeated, quiet and venomous. "Ezra Bridger...is... _DEAD!"_ Ezra lunged at Kanan with his crimson lightsaber. In an instant, Kanan activated his own and met Ezra's strike with a flash of blue.

"I'm _not_ going to fight you," he hissed, pressing against him with all of his might.

"Then you are a fool," Ezra snarled. With an incredible surge of strength Kanan hadn't known the boy had, Ezra sent Kanan sprawling backwards across the ice.

Kanan's yelp was cut short as his head slammed against the freighter. For a moment, he lay there, stunned as his lightsaber switched off and rolled away.

Ezra kicked the device aside as he prowled towards Kanan, his weapon raised.

Suddenly, a cold, malevolent chuckle rang out from above.

Ezra paused.

Someone sprang down from the top of the Imperial freighter to land between Kanan and Ezra with nary a sound. Ezra lowered his head slightly in submission.

As Kanan groaned and lifted his head, he noticed straight away the seeping of the Dark Side into his bones. It was _worse_ than the cold. It caused his insides to feel as though they had frozen over and shut off, all except for his hammering heart.

But this particular feeling... was _different._

It was different in a way Kanan had only ever felt so many times.

Rather than fear and hatred, there was merely only the unsettling coldness. The emotionlessness. The _wrongness._

 _"No.."_ Kanan mumbled, his eyebrows meeting.

Slowly, the tall figure turned. His golden, red-rimmed eyes, set in hollow ovals of black, glittered ominously as he offered Kanan a sinister smirk that bared jagged and yellowed teeth.

Kanan stared.

 _"You."_

The Pau'an chuckled again.

It was the chuckle from Kanan's nightmare.

His returned foe reached up and removed a circular lightsaber hilt from the holster at the back of his armored suit. He held it before him and switched it on.

The twin crimson blades jerked out from either side of it and began to spin faster than the eye could follow.

"I trust you remember me," the Inquisitor drawled casually, pinning Kanan to the spot with his vile gaze. "Ready to die?"

 **Woo! Mr. Inquiso! Sorry, I had to bring him back. I wuv him. He's a great villain. Whenever I watch Harry Potter, I imagine what Lucius says in the Inquisitor's context lol Hope you all liked this chapter! More coming up in the near future. Because I know you'll find me and smash my door down if I don't lol Ttyl!~**


	61. Chapter 59

59

 **THE INQUISITOR** slowly stalked forward.

Kanan scrambled to his feet. "But I - I was _there,"_ he growled, his head spinning from both horrible confusion and the blow it had just received. "I saw you _die."_

"Hm," the Inquisitor mused, circling him leisurely as Kanan whirled to keep a wary eye on him. "Such a shame it was that you weren't there to make sure I _burned._ " His lightsaber whirred and chipped at the ice. Its glow made it look like the water below the surface had turned to blood. "Perhaps it would have been more effective if you had simply stabbed me through." He regarded Kanan with mildly amused scorn. "Oh, but no, you are a _Jedi,_ aren't you?"

Kanan opened his hand and his lightsaber flew to it. "A Jedi can still kill a permanently corrupted being to save hundreds of innocents," he spat.

The Inquisitor adopted an expression of mock pity. "Perhaps," he drawled, stopping and holding his lightsaber out in front of him. "But no matter what you do, Jedi, it is _too late_ for your Ezra Bridger."

Kanan opened his mouth to deny this when suddenly, it struck him. All of the facts, all of the subtle little things he had never truly taken into account - abruptly clicked into place.

He stared at the Inquisitor blankly.

 _"You_ did this," he whispered hoarsely. The Inquisitor smirked, displaying several of his horrible teeth as Kanan's voice rose. "YOU DID THIS! _WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY PADAWAN?!"_

The brilliant tourmaline blade of Kanan's lightsaber hissed to life as Kanan charged at the Inquisitor with a shout of rage. They exchanged a quick flurry of strikes, parries, and dodges: the Inquisitor's moves were calm, easy, and practiced, whilst Kanan's were sloppy and fueled by anger, pain, and despair.

The Inquisitor's lightsaber struck ferociously at the ice as Kanan leapt out of the way. As if in response to some unseen beckoning, Ezra sprinted to join the fray. Kanan struggled to fight both of them at once without being harmed or harming Ezra. It was too much. He suddenly Force-pushed both Ezra and the Inquisitor away from him. Ezra was thrown several feet and landed hard on his back before sliding to a stop, dazed, his lightsaber rolling away. The Inquisitor, however, was not to be deterred, and leapt directly back into the battle. Kanan did not have even a mere second to feel sorry for what he had done to Ezra. If he had spared one, then he would have lost his life.

"Your undisciplined nature has not changed," the Inquisitor noted casually as he rapidly and steadily backed Kanan up towards the freighter, his blades striking the ice below whenever they were not blocking Kanan's lightsaber. "In fact, I see that it has grown even _worse_ than the last time you fought me. It seems that your training with Jedi Master Depa Billaba was not complete. You are unfocused and you allow your emotions to reign over your actions." He tsked and shook his head. "How disappointing. You are terribly unfulfilled as a Jedi, if that is truly what you are, and I have my arguments. And I was hoping for at least a _little_ quality exercise."

Kanan's eyes widened as he felt his back press up against the small Imperial ship. The Inquisitor grinned cruelly and, with a casual swipe of the Force, sent Kanan's lightsaber flying.

"I have a _sinking_ feeling that this is the true last time I will be seeing you," the Inquisitor sighed with obviously feigned sadness. He gashed one last time with his lightsaber the ice before Kanan's feet. "I bid you farewell, Kanan Jarrus - if that is what you truly call yourself."

The disciple of the Dark Side shoved powerfully downwards with the Force, then leapt away, sheathing and holstering his lightsaber just before landing atop the Imperial freighter.

Kanan had subconsciously noticed, during the battle, that the Inquisitor had consistently gouged the ice with his weapon, but he had been too blinded by his fury and caught up with deflecting his foe's extremely fast moves to consider why. Now, Kanan's confusion as to why the Inquisitor was simply leaving him here came to an abrupt and terrible end.

The ice was cracking below his feet.

 **Starlight Moon Midnight, that cliffhanger was for you. 3**


	62. Chapter 60

60

 **A FORCE** leap would not save him.

His lightsaber would not save him.

Nothing would save him.

Kanan stared downwards in terror as the ice beneath him shifted and splintered to pieces. He realized instantly that, in the next five seconds, he would meet a dark, freezing, and watery death.

So this was it.

This was how it all ended.

When Kanan Jarrus had joined the rebellion, he had always known what lay at the end of such a treacherous path: death. And not only his own - many deaths, the deaths of innocents. Whether he succeeded or failed, people would inevitably die because of the choices he and his rebel cell made.

But that was all for the survival of millions more.

Long before that time, during Order 66, Kanan had believed that he would die, along with thousands of other Force-sensitives in the Republic. On Cynda, he had believed that the mildly psychopathic conspiracy theorist and explosives expert he'd been forced to cooperate with would blow him sky high. Thousands and thousands more times, Kanan had thought he knew how he would die: shot full of holes, tortured to death, crushed, talked to death by a Gungan, ejected into the lifeless vacuum of space, vaporized, dropped into acid, eaten or sat on by a wampa, dissected by a lightsaber, or, perhaps most of all, blown up.

But no.

Kanan was fated to die failing at his most important mission of all: getting Ezra back home, safe and sound.

And that was the worst death he could ever possibly imagine.

Ezra Bridger groaned softly. He shook his head in an effort to clear it as he slowly propped himself up on his thickly gloved palms, then looked up.

The first thing he saw was the Jedi he had been sent to eradicate standing on a broad patch of rapidly crumbling ice.

Ezra's azure gaze locked onto that sight, and time suddenly ground to a screeching halt.

 _Excellent. My mission is complete._

 _No... not.. him!_

 _Silence. This is your duty. This man is a stranger, a Jedi, your mortal enemy. And your duty is to watch him die._

A blistering agony seized hold of Ezra's brain with an unrelenting iron grip. He cried out and gripped at his pounding head.

 _I need to help him!_

 _NO, YOU_ DON'T!

 _He_ ISN'T _A STRANGER!_

 _WATCH HIM DIE!_

"NO!" Ezra screamed, leaping to his feet and breaking into a stumbling sprint across the ice before he even knew what he was doing. "KANAN!"

Out of nowhere, an incredibly powerful force of brute strength crashed into Kanan's side. He was hurled out of the way and collided hard into safe ice.

With a muddled groan of pain, Kanan raised his dazed head just in time to witness Ezra standing where he had been but a moment before. Ezra stared straight at him, and Kanan would see tears streaming down his face beneath the visor of the boy's helmet.

And in the very next instant, the ice shattered... and Ezra was gone.

 _Gone..._

 _"NO!"_ Kanan barely felt the pain of Ezra's hard shove or the violent gust of shard-flinging wind as the Inquisitor's freighter pulled away and soared off into the black sky. "Ezra- _Ezra!"_ He scrambled over to the jagged edge of the hole that had swallowed up his Padawan. He stared into the dark depths, trembling, eyes blurred by stinging tears. The only sign that Ezra had just vanished forever was a tiny, fading ripple. _"EZRA!"_

Kanan squeezed his eyes shut.

 _"No.."_ he whimpered.

 _My Padawan._

 _My friend._

 _My_ son.

The journey, the desperate search for Ezra, was over.

But he had never thought that it would end like _this._

Ezra would die so quickly down there.

Anyone would.

The water was indescribably freezing, and incredibly deep.

But none of those facts at all mattered to Kanan except for the first.

In he dove.


	63. The End

61

 **COLD. COLD** like Kanan had never felt, never imagined, never known to be possible.

It felt like every Sith Lord who had ever existed in the history of the galaxy was gathered around him.

It felt like what death must feel like.

And it was what Kanan and Ezra's would feel like.

Kanan thrashed around in the absolute darkness, barely able to control his own movements. The instant he had dove in, he had been struck with a shock worse than any before. The water dragged him down by his heavy suit. The subzero cold immediately struck straight into the very marrow of his bones. It numbed his brain. It froze every vein, every nerve, every cell in his limbs. And it felt like it even stopped his heart.

His fingers brushed something. Kanan threw his flickering, dying, fading consciousness into one action: _SAVE._

His hands clamped shut over the back of Ezra's suit and he surged towards where he vaguely recalled the surface to be. The Force was with him, guiding him, fueling him then more than it ever had.

But it was not enough.

Kanan's body stopped moving. The breath held within his lungs winked out. He drifted backwards again, the water pulling him, pulling him down.

Above him, there was a bright light that flashed into his eyes as they slid slowly shut.

 _I failed you._

And that was Kanan's dying thought.

 _"Kanan.."_

The voices reached him. Hera's. Zeb's. Sabine's. Ezra's. They were all whispering at once, unevenly, almost a single voice but not quite.

And then they snapped into one. One he hadn't heard for fourteen long years...

"Kanan... Kanan, _please..."_

His eyes sluggishly flickered half-open. He saw, kneeling above him, the blurred shape of his master, Depa Billaba.

"Master..." he croaked out hoarsely.

 _"Shhh."_ Depa pressed her hand against Kanan's forehead. There were tears in her eyes, dripping down her face. "Come back to me, Kanan... _please."_

Kanan weakly reached up to touch her hand. He smiled feebly. "I... won't... leave you... not again."

Depa broke into a sob and pressed her head against Kanan's chest.

Suddenly, he was aware.

This wasn't Depa.

It was _Hera._

And Kanan was cold. So _cold._ And yet there was warmth beginning to seep back into his flesh.

"Hera..." Kanan murmured. His eyebrows met in confusion. "Where... _why.._ what happened to.."

He abruptly took notice of the room around them. At first, it was horribly blurred, but the longer he looked, the clearer it became. He was in the hall just beyond the entry ramp - inside the Ghost, lying half submerged in a small, circular, transparent pool full of steaming water.

And then everything rushed back to him.

 _"Ezra!"_ he cried out, sitting bolt upright. "Ezra! _No!_ Hera, we have to - we have to -" His voice, filled with desperation, cracked.

He remembered it more slowly.

The water.

The cold.

Ezra falling through the ice.

Freezing.

Drowning...

 _I... I didn't save him._

Tears spilled out of Kanan's closed cyan eyes and over his high, tan cheekbones.

"Ezra is..."

"I'm what, Kanan?"

Kanan gave a lurch, jerking his head straight up. His eyes flew open and his heart sprang back to life.

He turned to stare.

In the hallway beyond them stood Zeb and Sabine.

They supported a feeble, blue-faced, blanket-wrapped Ezra Bridger between them.

He offered Kanan a weak smile.

"Not lost anymore?"

Hera looked up and joined Kanan in uttering a strangled gasp of indescribable joy.

Zeb and Sabine helped Ezra stagger over to them. The boy fell to his knees to wrap his cold arms around Kanan's neck.

Kanan hugged him back, so fiercely and tightly his hug was almost violent.

 _"Ezra.."_ he whispered faintly, a relieved sob almost catching the word in his throat. He pressed his hand gently against the back of his Padawan's head. The boy's raven black hair was still damp.

And Ezra was crying, shaking, pressing his face against Kanan's soaked shirt.

"It's all right," Kanan murmured, hugging him even closer.

"You're home."

 **THE END**

 **Oh, my gosh... I... -sniffle- can't believe that... finally... after 63 chapters, so many months of writing - this is the end of this fanfiction. This is possibly one of the longest and best things that I have ever written. I am so proud of it, and that is all because of all of you. You guys kept it alive. Without you, this story would have stopped a very long time ago.**

 **Now, I deeply and mildly sincerely apologize for every cliffhanger I wrote, every heartwrenching disaster, and every time I quite purposefully threw the lot of you for a loop. But now we're here, and I couldn't be more overjoyed to have finally made it. Thank you so, so much for bearing with an evil author for so long.**

 **But remember, while this particular fanfiction and journey may be over, the tale certainly isn't. Vizago sold that kyber crystal to somebody named Marek - will that come back to bite our rebels? Just how much memory has Ezra regained, and what haunts him from his time being forced into the Dark Side by the Inquisitor - and his master, Darth Vader himself? Will we ever see the survivors of the Battle Star's destruction again? Just what will Tseebo have to say to Ezra? And, most importantly of all, THE INQUISITOR ESCAPED! Where did he go - and when will he** ** _come back?_**

 **Knowing me, of course, all of these things will certainly resurface in the future sequel and even interquel.**

 **But for now...**

 **..Arty out!**


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